NoOne Gets Through Life Without Scars
by smush68
Summary: Tony and the team must protect and save a friend of Abby's from a deranged rapist/killer. She's the one that got away, and he wants to finish what he started.
1. Chapter 1

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 1 - - - PROLOGUE**

Breathing heavily and laughing, Mandie Sewell skipped off the dance floor, followed by an equally happy Tim McGee. He'd had just enough to drink to follow her to the dance floor. Poor Tim had to endure the good-natured teasing of Tony DiNozzo when they returned to their table. Just before she sat down, Mandie quickly looked over her shoulder….she had the feeling someone was staring at her. 'C'mon Mand, you're in a club, for Pete's sake - there's lots of people looking. At you and everyone else.' Still searching the crowd, she thought that this felt different than public display staring. It felt like someone was looking directly at _her._ With a frown on her face, she sat down next to her best friend since grade school back in Louisiana, Abby Sciuto.

"What's wrong, Mandie-Lou?" Abby looked at her best friend from back home, recognizing the signs that something was bothering her buddy.

With a final scan of the club, Mandie shrugged. "Just thought…never mind." She punched Abby in the arm. "And don't call me that! That's for back home, where I'm the baby. Up here in DC, I get to be 'Grown-up Mandie,' with a government job and everything!"

"And _I_, for one, am _very _glad you are 'grown-up Mandie'," said Tony, squeezing himself into the booth next to her. "Otherwise, as a federal agent, I'd have to arrest myself for all these thoughts roaming around in my head!"

Abby and Mandie looked at each other and burst out laughing. "Tony!" Mandie was laughing so hard, tears were in her eyes. "That has got to be the _worst_ pick-up line _ev-ver!_"

Tony frowned. "Ya' think so? I thought it was pretty good, myself. Thought I'd try it on that hot blonde over there at the bar." He nodded his head in that direction.

A look at the bar showed that it was surrounded by blondes, all of whom Tony would consider 'hot.' "Which one?" Mandie asked, confused.

Before he could answer, Abby did. "It doesn't matter. If it doesn't work on one, he'll just keep going down the line 'til he runs out of blondes!" The table burst into laughter, except for Tony.

"Oh, ha-ha. I'll have you know I'm not _quite_ that desperate, Abby."

"Yeah," Tim yelled to be heard from across the table. "He just needs to find the one drunk enough to fall for it!" More laughter from around the table.

Tony just shook his head at his friends laughing at him.

Just then, a fast song came up. Abby jumped up and grabbed Mandie's hand. "C'mon! I love this song!"

Mandie shook her head. "Still tired from the last one," she said, and no amount of pleading on Abby's part would get her up. Abby finally managed to get Ziva to go to the dance floor with her, and after a few minutes of watching, Tim decided he'd join them, leaving Mandie and Tony together alone at the table.

Watching McGee dance, pressed between Ziva and Abby, Tony shook his head. "That's it. McBoogieFever over there is cut off. No more alcohol for him tonight. Otherwise I'll have to put up with his hangover whining tomorrow."

Mandie gave him a sly grin. "Oh, that would be such torture for you, wouldn't it, Tony? I can see it now - talking loud, slamming the phone down…..you'd make his life a living hell!"

"You forgot the nice, greasy breakfast burrito waiting for him when he comes in," Tony smiled evilly, laughing along with her. He slid his arm over the back of the booth and turned slightly toward her. "Haven't seen you in a while Mandie, what's new on the Hill?"

"If the senator pinches my ass one more time….." She laughed at the look on Tony's face. It was like he couldn't decide if he wanted to put his hands around the guy's throat for touching his sister, or if he wanted all the juicy details. "I'm just kidding, Tony. I'm so far removed from the main office, I'm lucky I even know which senator I'm clerking for." Mandie and Tony made small talk for a while until everyone else came off the dance floor. She rolled her eyes. It was like an unwritten, unspoken rule - she was never left alone anywhere. She was only a year younger than Abby, but they treated her like she was 16. Tony slid out of the booth and went to the bar to try his luck with a blonde. Mandie, Abby, and Ziva decided they'd make a trip to the ladies' room. Mandie once again felt eyes on her. She wasn't normally this jumpy, but for some reason she was starting to get a little freaked out.

The three women made it to the restroom with no trouble. It was on the way back that things got a little scary. They had walked out of the restroom single file, Abby in the front, then Ziva, then Mandie. After only a few feet, a big, burly someone bumped into Mandie, knocking her to the side. Seeing as the club was packed, she didn't think much of it and went to continue on her way. Taking a minute to look for their table, she didn't see the young man in uniform until she'd bumped right into him. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She tried to continue on her way but he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"What's the rush, sweetheart? Come have a drink with me."

Feeling unusually uncomfortable, Mandie tried to extricate herself from his arms, but his grip only tightened. "No, thanks. I've got friends waiting for me…"

"I know," he smiled. "I've been watching you all night." He pulled her close and started walking in the opposite direction of her table and her friends.

"I _said_ no!" She yelled, trying to stop walking, but he was stronger than she, and pulled her along easily. As they past the end of the bar, she caught the eye of the bartender, one the group knew well. She yelled 'NO!' again, and then yelled for help. She saw the bartender head for the other side of the bar and knew he was getting her friends. Even knowing she didn't have long to wait for help, she was still scared. This guy wasn't taking no for an answer.

"If you won't have a drink with me, then you'll dance with me." He dragged her out onto the dance floor and pulled her close, his breath hot on her neck, his hands running up and down her body.

"Let me go!" Mandie began to cry. She wasn't hurt, but she was terrified. "No! Let me go! Please, just let go!" All of a sudden, the music faded, the air around them went silent-except for her cries. The next thing she knew, she was wrapped in Abby's arms, and the guy in the uniform was on the ground gasping for air, Ziva's foot on his throat, Ziva's and Tony's guns in his face, while Tim, gun at the ready, stood in front of Mandie and Abby.

"Tony," Ziva began, conversationally, "I know my English is still not very good, but I did not know that the meaning of the word 'no' had changed."

"That's because it hasn't, my little assassin. In fact, I'm pretty sure no matter what language you say it in, it still means the same thing."

The guy on the floor choked and gasped for air, his face turning red. "C'mon guys…all I wanted was a dance, for God's sake!" Ziva's foot stepped harder when he tried to move. "I'm in the Navy, man, c'mon!"

Tony sneered. "I can see that, Petty Officer. That uniform stands for the honor and integrity of this country. It doesn't mean you get special treatment when you assault a woman." He nodded slightly to Ziva, who took her foot off the man's throat, and they both kept their weapons trained on him as he stood.

Ziva stepped closer to him. "I believe you owe my friend an apology."

The Petty Officer just looked at Ziva like she had three heads, until Tony's hand came down on his shoulder, pinching the nerve. Twitching, he looked at Mandie. "I'm sorry," he growled.

Tony pinched harder, and the man's knees dipped at the pain. "I don't think he sounded very sincere, do you, Ziva?"

Ziva thought about it. "Mmmm, no, I do not. But maybe he just does not have reason enough." She lowered her gun so it was pointed at his crotch. "Maybe now, you can put a little more feeling into it."

Nostrils flaring in anger, the uniformed man took several deep breaths, trying to control his anger. "I'm…_sorry_, miss, if I scared you. It won't happen again."

Barely peeking out from Abby's shoulder, Mandie just nodded.

With a glare, Ziva lowered her weapon and allowed the man to walk away. He got about 3 steps before he bumped into an angry Tony. "You can still tell all the boys back on the ship you got lucky tonight." He moved his suit jacket back to reveal his gold badge. "You didn't get taken into custody. Oh, and you lived to tell about the Israeli Mossad assassin who almost shot off your little petty officer." When the man snorted in disgust, Tony got right up in his face. "Go back to your ship and stay there for the rest of your shore leave. That's not a suggestion. That's an order."

Looking around at the crowd staring at him, the Petty Officer snarled in disgust and strode quickly out of the club. After a few minutes, the lights dimmed and the music started again, people once more crowding the dance floor, like nothing had ever happened. Abby and Tim led Mandie back to their table, followed shortly by Ziva and Tony. Abby tried to convince Mandie to stay. "Thanks, Abby, but I just want to go home, ok? I'm just not in the mood for this anymore."

Tony, Tim and Ziva shared a look. "You know, I am rather tired, myself. I think I will also call it a night. I will walk out with you, Mandie." Ziva reached for her purse under the table.

"You know what," said Tony. "Why don't we all call it a night. I don't think any of us is really in the mood anymore."

With that agreed upon by all, the quintet exited the club. Gentlemen that they are, Tony and Tim walked the women to their cars. Mandie gave everyone a hug and thanked them for rescuing her. "I'm so embarrassed!" Tony pulled her into his arms and gave her a squeeze, tucking her head under his chin.

"Don't be," he said, rubbing her back. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You did nothing wrong." Tony pulled back and looked at her. "Ok?" He smiled when she nodded quietly. With a brotherly peck on the head, he held her car door open for her and helped her in. Before he shut the door, he said, "don't be afraid to call one of us if you need it, ok? And call one of us when you get home so we know you made it ok."

Mandie rolled her eyes. "Yes, daddy."

Everyone laughed as Tony glared at her and shut her door. The group stood and watched as she drove away. "Don't worry, guys. I'll call her, when I know she's gotten home." Abby said, hugging her friends. It was Friday night - well, early Saturday morning, and the team had the weekend off. "Thanks for everything, guys. See you Monday!" Abby got in her roadster and sped away, leaving the others to get in their own cars and head for home.

_An hour later….._

"Honestly, Abby, I'm fine!" Mandie insisted, walking through her apartment. She'd showered and changed into pajama shorts and a long t-shirt. "Yes, my door is locked, the alarm is set, all the windows are locked, and I've got my Louisville Slugger under my pillow." She laughed at Abby's response. Hearing a knock on the door, she headed for the living room. "Well, my Chinese is here. That's one thing I love about DC - all night restaurants that deliver!…Ok…..I've got a few errands tomorrow….OK, gotta' go, the delivery guy is getting impatient! I'll talk to you Monday, ok?….I will. And thanks, Abbs…. For everything. Love you, too. Night!" She closed her cell phone and hurried to the door, hearing another knock. "Coming, coming!" With one hand, she scooped up the money she'd set on the hall table, and with the other, she opened the door. "Thanks for getting here so quick! I'm starving!"

NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS*********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS

_**A/N - **_**YES, I'M BACK WITH ANOTHER STORY. THIS IS FOR ONE OF MY WRITING BUDDIES, MANDIELOULUVSEWE (**_**READ HER STORIES - TONY-CENTRIC, FUNNY AND AWESOME!), **_**TO WHOM I PROMISED A STORY OF HER OWN. SO HERE IT IS, MY DEAR - HOPE IT'S EVERYTHING YOU WANTED! **

_**DISCLAIMER - YOU'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE, NOTHING IS MINE. I CAN'T EVEN LAY CLAIM TO THE CHARACTER OF MANDIE, SEEING AS SHE'S A REAL PERSON.**_

**SHAMELESS BEGGING **_**- PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! IF I DON'T GET ANY REVIEWS, I'LL BE REPLACED BY MONKEYS THAT CAN TYPE! PLEASE DON'T LET ME BE REPLACED! NOT BY TYPING MONKEYS, ANYWAY… COWS, MAYBE, BUT NOT MONKEYS!**_

**SHAMELESS BEGGING OVER!**

_**(But please, please review! Thanks guys!)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 2**

_Four Days Later - Tuesday_

_NCIS_

When Abby walked into the bullpen, McGee noticed right away she was upset about something. "Hey, Abby. What's wrong?"

Abby looked around the bullpen, a look of worry on her face. "Um, where's Gibbs?"

Ziva looked to her teammates then back to Abby. "He is in the conference room questioning Lt. Richards' wife. Can we help you, Abby?"

"Yeah…" She changed her mind. "No. I mean, yeah, I guess. Or not….I need to speak to Gibbs! This is Gibbs territory we've entered, and Gibbs and _only _Gibbs can solve this."

Tony, feeling self-important, got up and walked to Abby, arms open for a hug. "C'mere, Abby-doodles. Tell your big brother what's wrong."

Abby ducked Tony's arms. "Didn't you hear me? This is a _Gibbs_ problem, not a Tony problem!" Ziva and McGee smirked at Tony's pout about being passed over by Abby.

"But Abbs, I _am_ SFA, in charge when the boss isn't here."

Continuing to pace, Abby patted him on the arm when she walked by. "Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, ok?" Along with the pacing, she was starting to play with her hands and fingers. "How long does this thing usually take? Are we talking minutes or hours?"

"Depends on what my forensic scientist has for results," said Gibbs, striding past Abby to his desk.

"_Gibbs!"_ Abby ran to his desk. "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs, it'sbeenfourdays,havent'heardfromher,calledheratworkshedoesn'tanswerherphone,triedeverynumberIhaveforher…."

Gibbs came around his desk and took Abby by the shoulders. "Abbs….Abbs…_Abby_!" He wanted to know what put that worried look on her face. "Slow down and tell me again. What's wrong?"

"I've called every number I have for her, Gibbs, and she's not answering. Not even at work! And she _always_ answers her phone at work."

Gibbs shook his head in confusion. "Who're we talkin' about, Abbs?"

Abby rolled her eyes in futility. "_Mandie_, Gibbs! It's been four days since I've heard from her. We've never gone that long without talking to each other. Well, except for once when we were kids back home, and she got tonsillitis, but we still talked, until she went into the hospital, that is, and she couldn't talk for three days because it hurt so much, but I still saw her and shared her ice cream, which I didn't like because it was vanilla, and they wouldn't even put any sprinkles or anything on it. Have you ever had vanilla with no sprinkles? It's really boring-tasting, especially to a seven year old. But that's the _longest_, Gibbs. Even when we were in colleges in different states, we talked several times a week."

Ziva came to stand next to Abby. "I do not speak to all of my friends very frequently, Abby. Perhaps she just got busy."

"That's because all your friends are ninjas and aren't allowed to break the code of silence…..sorry, boss."

"No, no, no. Not Mandie. Even if she was busy, she would have sent an e-mail, left a voice mail or text. Especially since she's been in DC. She's like my little sister, Gibbs, I've always watched out for her here in the big city. She knows I worry if she doesn't contact me in some way!"

McGee put his two cents in. "Have you tried calling the main switchboard at the senator's office to see if she's called in sick or something?"

Abby looked at Gibbs, tears in her eyes. "That's _another_ reason I'm concerned. They haven't heard from her, either. She hasn't called in or left any messages there, either! This just isn't like her, Gibbs!"

Gibbs took Abby into a hug, kissing her on the head. "McGee, trace her cell. Go back four days, see where and what she's been up to."

McGee ran to his desk. "On it boss." After a minute of typing, McGee put the trace map of Mandie's cell phone up on the plasma. "Her cell comes up at her home address." Another minute of typing. "And…apparently, that's where she's been the last four days. At least, that's where her phone has been." Everyone looked at McGee sternly, for reminding Abby that something could be wrong. "Sorry."

Gibbs was conflicted. He was concerned about the young woman, too. She'd spent a lot of time here over the last few years, and he'd come to think of Mandie as another daughter. He sighed. "Abbs, I'm sorry, but I can't go right now…."

"But _Giiiiiibbs!_" Abby whined.

He placed a finger over her lips. "Let me finish. We've got a case right now. When we get back, if you still haven't heard anything, _then _we'll go check on her, ok? But right now, I need you downstairs, ready to log in evidence when we get back. Ok?"

Abby pouted like a little girl. "Ok." She took a few steps toward the elevator. "We'll go when you come back?"

"I promise. If she hasn't surfaced by then, we'll go check on her."

Abby gave him her version of his own stare. "Ok. But only because your Gibbs, and I know you'd never break a promise to me." She hurried off to the elevator.

"Gear up! Dead body, Rock Creek Park." The team grabbed their gear and ran for the elevator.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Rock Creek Park_

"…..I can't help it that there was a detour, Dr. Mallard. I've never come to the park from that direction before. Besides, you had the map…."

"If you had just followed the detour signs, Mr. Palmer, we would have been here much sooner. Oh, I'm sorry, Jethro. I'm afraid Mr. Palmer missed some of the detour signs…." Ducky knelt down next to the young woman, doing a visual check of the body first. "Well, she's been strangled…see here, you can see the finger print bruises around her neck….a rather large hand at that," he measured the bruise against his own gloved hand. "Definitely a male hand. Several stab wounds….I'm afraid I won't be able to tell which was the cause of death until I get her back to autopsy." He pushed the liver probe in, and gave his results. "Time of death roughly eighteen to twenty-four hours ago, depending on how long she's been out in the elements. I'm guessing you've found that this isn't where the young lady died?"

Gibbs grimaced. Another young woman, life cut short at the hands of someone else. And to what end? "Got tire tracks leading in and out from the area." He scanned the area, but totally in tune with his ME. "She raped, Duck?"

Ducky lifted the hem of the bloody t-shirt their victim was wearing. "At first glance, I'd say most likely. Bruising along the thigh, running up to the…oh. Oh my."

Gibbs looked up from his notebook. "What, Duck?"

"I believe we're looking at victim number nine, Jethro." There, on the inside of her right thigh, was the emblem of the US Marine Corp - an anchor through a globe, with the spread-winged eagle sitting on top. Like the previous eight victims, this one had also been burned - branded - into the thigh. Like the woman was a piece of cattle.

"Hey boss, McGee and I are done pictures and collecting, we're gonna'….." Tony stopped in his tracks at the sight of the mark on the victim's inner thigh. "Is that…."

"Uh-huh." Gibbs, man of few words.

"That makes this number…eight?"

"Nine. You and McGee take the evidence back to Abby, start on the vic's background. Ziva and I will finish the interviews."

With a final, sad look at the pretty young brunette, Tony began to leave. "On it, boss."

_NCIS_

A weary Tony brought the large container of evidence down to Abby. "Hey, Abbs," he sighed. "Here's the stuff from the crime scene."

"Awwww, what's the matter, Tony-boy? You look sad." Abby came around the table and gave him a hug.

Tony reached over and pulled an evidence bag out of the bin - the victim's bloody panties. "Number nine." He dropped it back into the bin.

"'The Monster Marine'?" Abby had a habit of naming their bad guys.

Nodding tiredly, Tony gave Abby a small hug and walked out. He was tired of finding young women, kidnapped, beaten, raped and murdered - and the worst of it, _branded_ - by this creep. Sometimes he hated this job. But he would love it when they caught the sonuvabitch. Just give him five minutes alone with the guy. He'd do some branding of his own.

_Bullpen_

Gibbs and Ziva walked into the bullpen. "McGee, whaddya got?"

Tim sighed, "Lyric Walker, age 30, single. Lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, three streets away from her parents, Russell and Muse Walker. Admin. Assistant in a doctor's office. Boyfriend, Nicholas Parker, they've been dating almost a year. No wants or warrants, one speeding ticket six years ago. Pays her bills on time, no outstanding debts."

"Good work, McGee, track down the boyfriend, check his alibi, then bring him in. I wanna' talk to him."

"On it, boss." McGee returned to typing.

"Ziva? Witnesses?"

Ziva spoke as she walked to join Gibbs at the plasma screen. "A man and his dog discovered the body at 0715 this morning, called the local police. They called us in when they saw the….tattoo…on her thigh, figuring her to be a marine."

"It's _not_ a tattoo, it's a brand." Tony stood, angry. "This guy took scorching hot metal and stuck it on her inner thigh - one of a few places on the body where skin is thinner* - and held it there for almost thirty seconds. That's how long it takes to get a really clear brand. At least, according to the farmers and cowboys that write about it on the internet."

Gibbs could see that this was really bothering his SFA. He hated to add to Tony's misery, but…"Ducky says they were alive when they were branded. There's no stretching or disfigurement of the brand, so the victim was most likely bound or restrained in some way." He watched as Tony just shook his head and returned quietly to his seat. "Ziver, witness statements, Dinozzo with me." He walked to the elevator, Tony following slowly behind.

_Abby's Lab_

"Whaddya' got, Abbs?" Gibbs strode into the lab, Caf-Pow in hand, Tony a step behind.

Abby turned from her computer. "Not much, Gibbs. All the blood on her underwear and clothes is just hers. I _did_, however, find some semen mixed with the blood in the panties, which is a match to the sample Ducky sent me." She held out her hand for the Caf-Pow.

Gibbs held it just out of her reach. "You run it?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Abby stared at the large red and white cup. "Can I have my reward first?" At Gibbs' raised eyebrows, she tried again. "How about just a sip? I'm really needing….." Seeing that Gibbs wasn't going to give in, she sighed. "Ok, but just promise not to punish the messenger bearing bad news."

"Did you run the DNA or not, Abbs?"

Abby scrunched up her mouth. "Um, I _couldn't_ run the DNA." She hopefully held out her hand for the cup.

Tony looked confused. "But you said you had fluids that matched what Ducky sent…how can you know they match if you haven't run the DNA?"

"Oh, but I _did_ run the DNA."

Gibbs and Tony looked at each other, to see if the other understood what their little lab rat was saying. Gibbs spoke up. "How can you _run_ the DNA and _not be able to_ run the DNA, Abby?"

Abby took a deep breath, knowing it was going to be difficult to explain something like this simply. "Ok. Ducky sent me a semen sample. I found a semen sample. The two samples match."

This much, Tony understood. "Ok, but to know they match, you had to match their DNA."

"That's right," Abby said, then turned to her computer and pulled up DNA markers. "_This_ is what a normal DNA marker result looks like. See where the lines and breaks are the same in both samples?" Both men nodded. "Ok. This is where it gets hinky, so pay attention. Now, I showed you a normal DNA marker. _This_," she typed some more and up came an almost blank marker result. "Is the DNA Ducky and I found."

Gibbs squinted. "Abby, there's nothing there."

"Exactly."

Tony frowned. "How can there be no DNA? Everyone has DNA….."

Abby nodded. "And this guy does, too. We just won't find it in his bodily fluids. He's a non-secretor. That means his bodily fluids - spit, sweat, semen, even blood - don't have enough genetic material to extract DNA."

Gibbs looked angry. "So we have no way of I. this guy."

"Well, I can you tell that being a non-secretor is really rare. Something like only two percent of the entire world's population are non-secretors. So if you find a suspect, I'll be able to tell you if it's _not_ him, because I'll find DNA." Gibbs started to walk away, still holding the Caf-Pow. "But the chances of there being _two _non-secretors in the same city, let alone the same country are astronomically low…so if you find a non-secretor, dollars to donuts he's your guy!" She smiled when Gibbs turned back around and put the large cup in her hand and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, Abbs!"

Abby put the cup down and ran after Gibbs. "Gibbs! Wait! What about your promise?" He looked confused. "About Mandie? If I hadn't heard from her by the time you got back? You'd go with me to her apartment?"

Gibbs sighed. With this new 'non-DNA' development, he had a lot on his mind. But he _had_ promised, and if it had been anybody but Abby, he wouldn't have thought twice about breaking it. "When was the last time you actually spoke or had contact with her?"

Happy he was taking her seriously, Abby spoke quickly. "Friday night. Well, early Saturday morning. After what happened at the club, I called her just to make sure she got home ok."

"After _what_ happened at the club?" Gibbs' trouble-radar was in full gear now, eyes narrowed.

"Well, the guy, the Petty Officer….that got a little….touchy-feely with Mandie….." Seeing the red in Gibbs' eyes, she continued quickly, "but it was ok, Tony and Ziva took care of it, gave him a good scare. But I've been thinking, what if he followed her home and bothered her again?"

Gibbs turned slowly to his SFA, giving him the full glare. Someone put their hands one of his girls? On Tony's watch? "Why am I just hearing about this now, DiNozzo?" he asked, in that quiet tone that he saved for guilty suspects.

Tony shot Abby a panicked look. "Uh, well, because…like Abby said, Ziva and I took care of it. Ordered him to stay onboard for the rest of his shore leave or I'd pull him in."

He didn't really think the guy from the club had anything to do with Mandie's in communication, but it was unlike her to be out of touch for so long. Gibbs was about to tell Tony to take the lead 'til he got back when he saw the look in the younger man's eyes. He decided Tony could use the break away from this 'Monster Marine' case, as Abby called it. And who better to take his mind off anything than the two women who were like his sisters. "Tony."

Looking wearily at his boss, Tony expected to be told to take the lead. Man, he was hating this case. He was shocked when Gibbs told him to go with Abby to check on Mandie. "Uh, sure, boss. No problem."

Abby jumped up and down, and hugged Gibbs. "Thanks, Gibbs!" She grabbed Tony's arm and dragged him to the elevator. "C'mon! Let's go get your stuff! If I let you drive, do you promise not to drive like my grandma?"

Gibbs chuckled, listening to his kids tease each other as they got in the elevator.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Mandie Sewell's Apartment_

Tony and Abby were chuckling and talking as they came up to Mandie's apartment. Tony was happy Gibbs had sent him with Abby. If Abby couldn't cheer you up, _no one_ could.

"This is it." Abby walked to the apartment door and rang the doorbell over and over again.

Tony reached out and stopped her. "What if she's lying in bed with a migraine? You'll be killing her!" He immediately began pounding on the door with his fist.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that's any better, He-man." She pressed her ear to the door. " I don't hear anything." She knocked loudly. "Mandie? Mandie-Lou, it's Abby-Dabby! Open the door!"

"'Abby-Dabby'? Really?" Tony laughed. He stopped when Abby slugged him in the stomach. "Abby-Dabby - cute. I like it," he groaned.

Taking out her key, Abby had just put it in the lock when the doorknob turned easily. "It wasn't locked…..she's real careful, Tony. She always locks her door."

Tony eased Abby out of the way. Taking out his handkerchief, he turned the knob. "Mandie?" He cautiously entered her apartment, eyes and ears tuned for the slightest thing. He stopped Abby from coming in. "Wait here," he said softly. He walked through the apartment and came back to the entryway. "Place is empty. She's not here, Abbs." Tony noticed that Abby hadn't heard him. "Abby?"

"She was answering the door." Abby was remembering their last conversation.

"What?"

"The door. She was going to answer the door when we hung up. She'd ordered take out. Chinese."

"There were no dishes in the sink, or any trash."

"That's because she didn't eat it."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

Abby pointed to the hallway table, where a brown bag sat, stapled shut with a yellow customer receipt attached.

Beginning to get concerned, Tony told Abby to take a walk through the apartment to see if she noticed anything missing. "Stay to the right side of the rug when you walk."

"You think something's happened to her? You do, don't you? That's why you want me to stay to the side, so I don't contaminate the main path."

"Abby, just do what I told you." He never talked to her in that tone of voice - his agent voice. And it scared Abby. With a last look at him, she did as he asked.

After she'd left the room, Tony pulled out his cell and called McGee. "Hey Probie. Where's Gibbs?…..No, I don't need him. You busy?…..Yeah, Abby and I are here now. I need you and Ziva to do something for me…..ok, go to Yan Chang, it's a Chinese place about five blocks from Mandie's apartment. She had a delivery Saturday morning, between 0130 and 0230. Talk to the delivery guy, see if he remembers anything. …. No, she's not here, but the door was unlocked…..yeah, that's what Abby said, too. ….Ok, thanks, McGee. And tell Gibbs when you see him, huh? Thanks." He had just hung up when Abby returned from her trip around the apartment.

"Nothing missing that I can see, Tony. But her bed hasn't been slept in, and her clothes from Friday night are still in the hamper - she was going to do errands on Saturday, the Laundromat would have been one of those. What's going on, Tony? Where's Mandie?"

Tony pulled Abby into a hug. "I don't know, Abbs, but we'll find her, ok? I promise."

Abby huddled against Tony's chest and nodded sadly, feeling safe and scared at the same time. She couldn't help but wish she'd thought to check on her best friend much sooner than this. Abby knew that if anything happened to Mandie, it would be _her_ fault.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**ITEMS WITH A STAR * ARE THINGS THAT, FOR THE SAKE OF THIS **_**FICTIONAL**_** STORY, ARE SCIENTIFIC FACT, BUT IN REAL LIFE MAY NOT BE. THE PART ABOUT THE NON-SECRETORS I LEARNED YEARS AGO ON AN EPISODE OF CSI:VEGAS AND DECIDED TO PUT IT IN HERE JUST TO MAKE THINGS MORE DIFFICULT FOR OUR HEROES!**

**THANKS AGAIN TO THE STORY'S NAMESAKE, MANDIELOULUVSEWE, FOR HELPING OUT WITH SOME THINGS, AND FOR BEING SO AWESOME TO LET ME WRITE A STORY ABOUT HER! (SHE ****BEGGED**** ME TO WRITE ONE ABOUT HER, BUT DON'T TELL HER I TOLD YOU!) (**_**GO READ HER STORIES - MORE AWESOMENESS AWAITS YOU THERE!)**_

_**DISCLAIMER - THE USUAL NOTHINGNESS APPLIES.**_

_**SHAMELESS BEGGING - **_**PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE,PLEASE REVIEW! PLEASE? FOR L'IL OL' ME? NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR MANDIELOU, TOO! THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 3**

_Yan Chang Restaurant_

"….Yes, that's Miss Mandie. She's a very good customer. Is there a problem?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. About what time did she place her order?"

Mr. Chang, a spry, older Chinese-American, walked behind the register and pulled out his take-out log. "Let's see…..it was after 1:00, so…." He flipped a few pages, stopped, and began flipping slower. "Ah! Here it is! Triple order crab Rangoon, double order beef teriyaki, large shrimp with cashew and Chinese vegetables, large General's chicken, and double order large white rice."

Tim and Ziva looked at each other, confused. "Mr. Chang, she would have been ordering for one. That's too much…."

"Oh no! That's her! Orders just about the same thing every time. She says she orders extra to eat cold, for breakfast, lunch for work. That kind of thing." Tim's stomach rolled at the thought of cold Chinese food, especially for breakfast, and he grimaced. "Hey, don't knock it. My rangoons are better the second day!"

Ziva smiled at Tim's discomfort. "Ok, so this is her order. What time did it come in?"

Mr. Chang checked the slip. "Came in….1:48AM. Delivered at 2:05AM. Delivery man back in at 2:27AM. After midnight, I have delivery people sign in and out, just in case, you know?"

"Mr. Chang, is the person that delivered to Miss Sewell's apartment early Saturday morning here right now?" Tim took out his notebook.

Mr. Chang thought a moment. "Let's see…midnight to six AM would have been…Po. He's on a delivery right now, should be back in a few minutes. Is Po in trouble?"

Ziva looked at Tim. "No, we do not believe so, but he may be able to help us figure out what happened."

"Is Miss Mandie alright? She's a nice lady, very good customer."

"We hope so, Mr. Chang."

Mr. Chang looked over Tim's shoulder. "Ah, here's Po now. Po! These people are from NCIS. They want to ask you about Miss Mandie."

A boy, maybe late teens, walked up. "Miss Mandie? Is she ok?"

"You delivered to her apartment early Saturday morning, yes?"

The boy shrugged. "Yeah. She orders in once or twice a week. Nice lady, asks about my grades, my sisters. Good tipper, too."

"What about Saturday morning? How was she? Did she seem alright?" Tim was taking notes.

Po looked nervous. "We-well, I didn't actually _see_ Miss Mandie. Her door was open. I rang the bell first, then called into the apartment who I was. There was no answer. I waited a minute or so, then did it again, still no answer. I thought maybe she went out for a minute, didn't know if I should leave the food or not. I finally decided to leave it - she's a good customer, I knew she'd be in later during the day Saturday to pay for it."

"And did she? Come in later, I mean."

Po shook his head. "No. I mean, she didn't have to. When I put the food on the hall table, I saw money on the ground. I called for Miss Mandie again, then went and picked up the money. I was going to leave it on the table, with the food, but when I counted it, it was the exact amount for the food, plus my usual tip. I tried calling her one more time, then took the money and left." The boy looked sad and scared. "Did I do something wrong? Did Miss Mandie say I stole from her? I didn't! I just…"

Ziva calmed the boy. "No, Po, you did nothing wrong. In fact, you have just helped us a great deal. Thank you for speaking with us."

"I hope Miss Mandie's ok. She's one of my favorite customers." Mr. Chang patted the boy's shoulder as Tim and Ziva made their way out of the restaurant.

"There was insufficient time for the delivery boy to have done anything to her," Ziva mused.

"At least this gives us a timeframe to work with." Tim was still grimacing, thinking about cold Chinese food for breakfast.

_Mandie's Apartment_

Gibbs walked through the apartment door, followed minutes later by Ziva and McGee. Gibbs walked right over to Abby and enveloped her in a warm hug. "We'll find her, Abbs."

Abby sniffled and nodded against Gibbs' chest, "I know."

Gibbs hated that weak sounding voice coming from his Abby. He hugged her harder, kissed the top of her head, as McGee and Ziva shared their findings from the restaurant with Tony. Letting her go, Gibbs gave his team their assignments, and the group set about doing them. He led Abby over to the sofa. "Now, I want you to start with what happened Friday night, and take me up through coming here this morning."

Abby told Gibbs everything that happened, starting with the Petty Officer grabbing Mandie. "And then I called her office this morning, and they said she'd been out yesterday and again today, but she didn't call in or anything. That's when I knew something was wrong. She's not the kind to just not show up for work, Gibbs, she's more responsible than that!"

He held Abby's hands. "I know, Abbs, I know. I'm going to have McGee take you back to the Yard.."

"NO! Gibbs, she's my friend! I need to be here! I can help….I'm a forensic scientist, Gibbs, I can handle it." Abby could see him waffling. "Please? I'll sit right here until you need me, I promise."

Gibbs sighed, knowing he'd regret this. "Ok. But you don't leave this couch."

"I won't leave this couch." She held her right hand up as if taking an oath. She watched as Gibbs sighed again and went to work.

"I think I've got something here," called McGee, kneeling on the floor near the door. Ziva came, put down a marker and photographed it.

"Blood drops….and look there, on the inside of the door…." Ziva waited as McGee stuck a marker next to it and then she took a few photos. "More drops…spatter, maybe…"

As McGee took samples, Abby came rushing up. "Blood? You found blood? Ohmigod! Is it Mandie's? Ohmigod! She's hurt!" Gibbs walked up and put his hands on her shoulders. "Gibbs! She's bleeding! Mandie's hurt! We gotta' find her Gibbs!"

"Where's the forensic scientist who said she could handle anything?" He led Abby back to the sofa as the team collected more blood evidence from around the door. Seeing Tony walk back in from the hallway, where he'd been interviewing Mandie's neighbors, he again ordered Abby to stay put, and went to talk to his SFA, who was scanning the evidence in the doorway. "Whaddya' got, DiNozzo?"

Tony sighed. "Got nothing, boss. None of the neighbors remember hearing anything Friday night or Saturday morning. Apparently Mandie is a courteous, quiet neighbor, so they'd remember any kind of 'ruckus,' as the old guy next door put it. But then, he wears hearing aids, and takes them out at bedtime, so, safe to say, even if there _was_ a ruckus, he wouldn't have heard it." He looked over at Abby, then back to the doorway. "From blood evidence, looks like she opened the door, thinking it was the delivery boy, and he struck her somehow, judging by the spatter McGee found. Ziva found a blood smear on the wall and the door frame, right about this level," he indicated a spot just and inch or two below his own shoulder, "so I'm guessing he carried her out."

Watching his team for a moment, and silently kicking himself for not listening to Abby the first time she asked to come over here, he looked back at Abby, silently crying on the couch. "Ok, you're with me. We're going to take the evidence and Abby back to the lab. I want to make sure Abby can handle processing it, if not I'll have to get Vance to get someone else in."

Tony was confused as to why Gibbs needed him with him for that. "And then what?" he recognized the look in Gibbs' eye when the older man turned to him. It was the one he used to break suspects in interrogation.

"Then you are going out to whatever ship that Petty Officer is on, and bring him in so we have ourselves a little talk with him." Gibbs motioned Abby over, and began walking her out.

Tony thought for a moment, then smiled. "On your six, boss!" He gladly followed his boss out to the car.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_NCIS_

_Interrogation Room 3_

"I still don't understand why you brought me down here." The Petty Officer mumbled angrily.

Tony sat across from him, for once not playing Tetris on his phone while he waited for the boss. "You don't need to know why. My boss will tell you why. And, just a suggestion, you can take my advice or not, but you _might_ want to lose the attitude before he gets here. He's already in a bad mood."

Before the younger man could answer back, the door noisily opened. Gibbs walked in and shut the door - not slammed, but loudly. Tony was up and out of the chair by the time he made it to the table, and moving to stand next to the mirrored window.

"Petty Officer Steele."

"Yes, sir."

Gibbs opened up the file in front of him and read. "Good service record. Your superiors think highly of you. An all-around good sailor."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Gibbs slammed the file shut. "Then why the _hell_ did you screw it up by assaulting and kidnapping a young woman from her apartment?" He gave the young man the glare.

PO Steele sat straight up in his chair right quick. "What? Wait! What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to _anyone_!"

Gibbs just held the glare. "Are you denying that you accosted a woman at a club last Friday night?"

"And don't even consider lying when I was one of the ones pointing a gun at your head," Tony interjected from the corner.

The PO rolled his eyes. "I wasn't going to deny it. Well, that I _accosted_ her, yeah. All I did was ask her for a drink and she went all crazy."

Tony walked slowly and deliberately to the table and leaned down on it. "Since when does saying 'no' constitute 'going all crazy'?" he growled.

"Look, I was drunk, ok? I'm not usually like that. Even drunk, I never would have hurt her. Or _anyone_."

Gibbs leaned over into the PO's space. "She shot ya' down, embarrassed you in a roomful of people, so you decided to follow her home, finish what you started?"

"What?_ No!_ Hey, is she sayin' I did something to her? Cuz if she is, that bitch is _lying!_ I never touched her after this guy," he gestured to Tony, "and his maniac girlfriend tossed me out of the club!"

Tony saw red, but kept his cool. "That _'bitch'_ happens to be a good friend of mine, and she's like a daughter to _him_," he nodded to Gibbs. "And that 'maniac' isn't my girlfriend, she's my partner."

The Petty Officer took a deep breath and looked at Gibbs. "I'm sorry, sir, No disrespect. But I never saw her after I was booted from the club. I went back to the ship like I was _ordered_ to," he glared at Tony, "and stayed there the rest of the weekend. Spent Saturday sick, hung over. Took a shift for another PO who wanted to go ashore on Sunday. I can always use the extra pay. And I've been working my regular duty ever since. So if something happened to that….girl….it wasn't me that did it."

Gibbs stared at the young man for a moment, then stood, motioning for DiNozzo to follow him out. Closing the door behind Tony, he said softly, "Get someone to bring Petty Officer Steele back to the ship, and then meet me in the lab."

Tony was floored. "But…boss?"

"His alibi checks out, DiNozzo. He was onboard all weekend. Written and video proof. Send him back." Gibbs walked away down the hall, Tony just watching after him.

"Sure thing, boss….."

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**THANKS TO THIS STORY'S INSPIRATION, MANDIELOULUVSEWE (Who writes awesome Tony stories! I love 'em!). WERE IT NOT FOR HER BEGGING, THIS STORY WOULDN'T EXIST. AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S ALERTED, FAVORITED, AND REVIEWED! **

_**DISCLAIMER - I NEITHER GIVE NOR RECEIVE ANYTHING TO OR FROM ANYONE AT BELISARIUS OR CBS IN REGARDS TO THIS STORY.**_

_**MORE SHAMELESS BEGGING - PRETTY, PRETTY PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! NOT ONLY WILL IT MAKE **_**MY**_** DAY, BUT YOU'LL BE MAKING MANDIELOU'S DAY, TOO! MANY, MANY THANKS!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 4**

_Two Days Later_

_Thursday…._

The mood in the bullpen was somber. Every spare moment not spent on a case was spent looking for their friend/little sister, Mandie. If the agents thought it was bad for them, it was even worse for Gibbs - Mandie was like another daughter to him, and this was bringing up bad memories. So Gibbs was in a grouchy mood. Even Vance didn't try to talk to him.

Gibbs hung up the phone with a slam. "Get your gear. Dead sailor, Rock Creek Park." The three younger agents grabbed up their backpacks and headed for the elevator. "I'll meet you in the garage. McGee, gas the truck." He threw the keys at McGee, who caught them in the air. "I'm going to see Abby." Taking the back elevator down to the lab, Gibbs prepared himself for seeing Abby. To say she hasn't handled the last few days well was an understatement. The lab was quiet when he walked in - no music, just like the last two days. Never a good sign. "Abbs!" She waved at him from her office, and he walked over. "Whaddya' doin', Abbs?"

"I just got through talking to Mandie's parents. I didn't tell them she was missing or anything, just asked if she'd told them she was getting away for a few days. Nobody back home has heard from her, Gibbs! Where is she? What if she's lying hurt somewhere, and can't get help? What if…"

Putting his finger over her lips, he waited until she was quiet. "We…will…find her, Abby. You know none of the team will give up until she's back with us." Gibbs waited again until she nodded. "Right now, I have a dead sailor who has family that need answers, too. And only _you_ can give them to them, Abbs. I need you to focus, ok?"

Abby knew Gibbs was right, but it hurt to think that Mandie would think they were abandoning her for another case. But this was her job, so do it she would. "I will not stop until I find all the answers for your dead sailor, sir!" She saluted, causing Gibbs to smile.

"Wrong hand, Abbs," he said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek, then heading for the door. "And don't call me sir!"

"Then, yes, _ma'am_!" she replied, saluting with the correct hand, smiling at Gibbs' chuckle coming from the hallway. With a sharp, precise military turn, she turned to her computer and began typing with renewed vigor. Nothing like a peptalk from her silver fox to put her in the right frame of mind.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Rock Creek Park_

Leaves crunched under his feet as he made his way along the woodsy path. Jim Taybak preferred jogging this trail over any of the others in the park, even though it was kind of out of the way. Heck, that was one of the reasons he liked it. Very rarely did he ever bump into another runner or person walking their dog. He enjoyed the solitude, enjoyed the crisp sound of the leaves under his feet, enjoyed the piney smell of the…what was that? He jogged in place for a moment, listening for the sound again. There it was - a rustling off to the left. Listening more carefully, he could pinpoint the stand of trees the sound was coming from. Jim stopped jogging and took out his phone. Another reason he liked this trail was the wildlife. He had some great pictures of animals he'd encountered while out on his jogs.

Jim left the trail, slowly and quietly making his way toward the sound. Hearing a whine, he stopped for a moment, trying to identify the kind of animal from the noise. Judging from the rustle, it was fairly large. Maybe a deer…yearling bear? He crept one step at a time, phone at the ready. Again, it made a noise - like a moan. If he didn't know better, he'd say it almost sounded human. A few more steps, and all he had to do was sweep aside some bushes….

He'd snapped the picture before he realized what he was seeing. A young woman, covered in cuts, bruises and blood. There wasn't an inch of her body that wasn't injured in some way. It was so brutal that he gagged and nearly threw up. Was she even alive? "Miss?" He crept closer, got within a few feet of her. "Miss? Are you…"

Her strangled moan made Jim jump. She was still alive! He dialed 911, but was frustrated when there was no service. "Miss, I'm going to go get help, ok?"

"He-help m-me…" the woman croaked.

"I will, miss. But I have to go back to a clearing, I have no service….I'll be back, and I'll bring help, I promise."

She slowly reached out a bloody hand. "N-no….no leave…help…help me…." She begged.

Jim swallowed hard and took the young woman's hand. It was cold, and wet with blood. "I have to leave, ok? I need to go get help." He cringed when the woman wrapped her fist in his t-shirt. This much blood would never come out. "Shhhh, it's ok, ok? I'm going to go bring help, ok?" He gently pulled himself away from her grasping hands, blocking out her pained cries as she slid back to the ground. As he started running back the way he'd come - it was faster than going forward - Jim wished he could have done more to help her, to make her comfortable. But he sat at a desk, tweaking numbers and accounts all day. He knew nothing about First Aid. And as he ran, he decided that he'd never run this trail again.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Rock Creek Park_

_Two Miles Away_

Team Gibbs was working the scene of a dead US Navy sailor. McGee was taking pictures, Ziva was sketching the scene, Gibbs was consulting with Ducky, and Tony was working his way out from the immediate scene, looking for clues, evidence, anything that could tell them why the sailor was here. He was so bored with his assignment, he didn't even hear the thudding footsteps coming at him at a full run. Didn't even see the jogger until he'd barreled right into him. "What the…Hey! Watch where you're going! Didn't you see the crime scene tape? Get out of here!"

"Lady…in the woods….blood….." the jogger was gulping in big breaths of air.

Tony looked down at his white dress shirt underneath his NCIS blue jacket. The white shirt with a large blood stain. "Awwww man! This was brand new! Thanks a lot, sweaty jogger-guy."

"She's….help….blood all over…"

"As if the jacket wasn't enough, you just _had_ to get it on the white shirt, too…"

The jogger took Tony by the lapels of his NICS jacket. "You gotta' come…she needs help….please! Told her…I'd bring back help….she's…it's bad. You have to come…" He started pulling Tony with him toward the woods.

Tony wrestled his jacket away from the lunatic jogger. "Alright, alright, I'm coming. This better be good, or you're paying for this shirt…." He called to McGee over his shoulder, "Hey, McBoyScout! I'll be right back! This jogger found evidence in the woods!"

As he followed behind the jogger, Tony had to keep telling him to slow down. Ok, so he wasn't in the greatest of shape - he was working on it. "Hey! Jogger Guy! How much farther?" Damned shoes were getting ruined, too. He was so concentrated on running and breathing at the same time, he fell right over the jogger, who'd stopped and was bent over, sucking in air. "Warn a guy when you're gonna stop short, jogger guy. Jogging 101, being polite to your fellow joggers." As he stood, he looked where the jogger was pointing. "What? What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"She's….over…there. By…by the birch tree, under…under it."

Tony scanned the trees. "Birch….those are the white ones, right?" He ignored the jogger rolling his eyes. Still breathing hard, he began walking in that direction. "Nothing's going to jump out at me, is it? Cuz I will be royally…..Holy Shit!" He ran the last couple of feet and knelt down next to the woman, immediately feeling for a pulse. Thready, but there. "Miss? Miss?" he asked loudly as he took in her injuries. Some of these cuts were deep, needed stitches. She'd lost a lot of blood.

Stripping off his windbreaker, he balled it up and gently slid it under her head, wincing when she moaned. "It's ok, you're ok. We're gonna' get you out of here, ok? Get you some help."

"He-help….hel-lp meeeee." She reached out a trembling hand toward Tony.

Tony slipped off his white dress shirt and ripped it into a few strips. He wanted to get some kind of dressing on a few of those cuts. On closer inspection, he saw they were deliberate slashes. He hushed her softly when she cried out as he pressed down on the wounds. "You're ok, you're safe. I'll be right back." He ran back to the jogger, who was just starting to get his breath back. "I'm guessing there's no service in here?" the jogger shook his head. "Ok then, I need you to go back down and get my team. Tell them DiNozzo needs Ducky. Can you remember that? 'DiNozzo needs Ducky'."

Confused, Jim Taybak nodded. He had no idea why this guy needed a duck, but if it got that poor young woman help, he'd do it. "DiNozzo needs Ducky. Got it." With one last gulp of air, he took off down the trail once again. Never mind never jogging this trail again, Jim thought to himself. 'I'm never _jogging_ again!'

Tony ran back to the young woman, who was trying to push herself up. "No, no, honey, back down, c'mon." He helped her lie back down. "There's help coming, I promise. A doctor is on his way, he'll help you until we can get you to the hospital." He checked the meager bandages he'd made, not surprised to see they'd soaked through with blood. "I need you to open your eyes for me, ok? Need you to stay awake….c'mon." He lightly tapped the woman's cheek, and she opened the one eye that wasn't swollen shut -but was filled with blood from the gash down her face. "Good job, good girl, just stay…." He looked at her eye and felt his heart drop right out of his chest. _Mandie!_ He'd recognize those unique violet eyes anywhere. "Oh dear God…Mandie! Mandie? Honey, talk to me….Mandie?"

"Help…m-me. He-help…" If she had any tears left, she'd cry. "Can't…can't s-s-see…ca-can't s-see!" The more she panicked, the harder it got for her to breathe. She was gasping and struggling for air.

"Shhhhhh, it's ok, Mandie, you're ok." He was ready to cry for her. Tony got down on the ground and pulled her into his lap. He could feel her starting to go limp. "C'mon, Mandie, stay with me, sweetheart, stay with me. Shhhhhh, it's ok, sweetheart, you're ok…."

Gasping for air, Mandie realized she knew who this was holding her, knew why she felt so safe at last. "T-Ton-ny?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, it's Tony. Stay with me, honey." He kissed her forehead softly. "You've had all of us worried, sweetheart, McGoo, Ziva, dad, me. And I won't even tell you how devastated Abby's been…." Tony gave her a little shake. "Keep breathing, Mandie, c'mon…stay with me, sweetheart, stay with me…."

Mandie reached up a trembling, bloodied hand to Tony's face, as if to prove to herself it was really him. "To-Tonnny….You?"

"Shhhhh, kiddo, it's really me, sweetheart, Big Brother Tony is here. Don't close those eyes, Mandie-Lou…..there we go, keep those pretty eyes open."

"What….what hap-hap-happ….."

"We don't know, kiddo, you've been missing a long time." When she would have tried to speak again, he shushed her. "Save your strength for getting yourself better, ok?"

"S-so tire-tired, Tonnn-ny. So tired."

Tony heard the thundering feet of the rest of the team. "Stay with me, sweetheart, just stay with me. The rest of the team is almost here, ok?" He pulled her as close as he dared to give her a hug. "Just stay with me," he whispered sadly.

_Half an hour later….._

The team was somber as they watched the EMTs come out of the woods with Mandie on a gurney, Gibbs on one side of her holding her hand, Ducky on the other, handing out orders to the EMTs. As they got ready to slide her into the ambulance, Mandie raised her hand enough to catch Gibbs' windbreaker. He looked at her, tears in his eyes. He could see she wanted to say something. "It's ok, baby. We're gonna' get you to the hospital, ok?"

Mandie shook her head. "S-sor-sor-ry, Gibb-s. 'M Sor-rrry!" She was crying now, causing her to have trouble breathing again.

Gibbs took her hand, kissed it, completely disregarding the scratches and blood. Here she was, beaten, slashed, most likely raped, and _she_ was the one apologizing. "Don't apologize, darlin'. You did nothing wrong. Hear me?"

Nodding, Mandie tried to get her breathing under control as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance. Gibbs couldn't help but think how small and young she looked. "Dinozzo!"

Tony came running up, still shirtless, chest sweaty and smeared with blood. "Yeah, boss!"

Gibbs threw him his NCIS jacket. "Put this on and go with her. We'll meet you."

"But don't you….?"

Gibbs sighed. "_You_ want to be the one to tell Abby?"

"Meeting you at Bethesda. Got it, boss." Tony climbed into the back of the ambulance, grabbing a seat near Mandie's head, so she would be able to see him and know she wasn't alone. He picked up her hand and cradled it between both of his as the doors shut and locked. With a roar of engines and sirens, they were on their way to the hospital.

Ducky watched the ambulance leave with a heavy heart. That poor girl, he thought to himself. "Jethro, I'm going to follow them in. I want to make sure there's a plastic surgeon on hand to do the stitches."

"Yeah, go ahead, Duck." Gibbs watched the elder man climb into the Coroner's van with Jimmy Palmer. As they pulled away, he turned to the remaining two members of his team. They both looked shell-shocked. He asked Tim to go collect their kits from the first crime scene - Balboa's team was coming to take over. When Tim had walked away, Gibbs sidled up next to Ziva. In a low voice he asked, "you alright, Ziver?"

Ziva jumped. She was lost in memories of Somalia, hadn't realized anyone had gotten so close to her. "I am fine." Seeing Gibbs' raised eyebrow, she smiled, albeit a small one. "I am fine, Gibbs." When he turned to walk away, she murmured, "thank you." Gibbs leaned in and kissed her on the temple.

"Help McGee, and take the truck. I'll meet you at the hospital."

Knowing that he had yet to face the toughest part of the job - telling Abby - Ziva touched his arm. "Would you like me to come with you?"

Gibbs took her hand from his arm and gave it a fatherly squeeze, shaking his head. "Go," he said with a small smile, and watched her walk over to McGee and begin helping him grab all their gear and lug it to the truck. 'I've got good kids,' he thought to himself, then sighed. Abby. This was going to destroy her. She was going to blame herself - she always did. He was leaning against the car as Agent Balboa and his team arrived. Gibbs briefed them on their findings and went to get in his car.

"Hey, Gibbs!" Gibbs turned his head to look at Balboa. "Hope your girl's alright."

Gibbs nodded his thanks, and as he drove away he thought, 'me, too.'

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS*********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**AND THUS ENDS ANOTHER EPISODE OF 'SCARS.' MANY THANKS AND A SORRY TO THE **_**REAL**_** MANDIE, MANDIELOULUVSEWE (go read her stories - AWESOME!), FOR NOT WRITING THE HOSPITAL SCENE. THAT'S COMING NEXT, I PROMISE! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER! IF YOU DID - OR EVEN IF YOU **_**DIDN'T**_** - DROP ME A REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW! NOT ONLY WILL YOU MAKE MY DAY, BUT YOU'LL MAKE THE **_**REAL**_** MANDIE'S DAY, TOO!**

_**DISCLAIMER - NOBODY NOWHERE RECEIVES ANYTHING FOR THIS STORY. WELL, EXCEPT FOR THE REAL MANDIE, WHO'S GETTING A STORY ALL ABOUT **_**HER**_**. I OWN NOTHING. BUT MY HEART WILL GO ON…..**_

_**REVIEW**********REVIEW**********REVIEW**********REVIEW**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 5**

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Gibbs pulled into a parking spot in the ER lot and headed for the door. He noticed Abby wasn't next to him, so he turned to look for her - she was still sitting in the car. He walked back and opened her door. "Abbs? You coming?" He grimaced and sighed when she silently shook her head 'no.' He squatted down next to her, knees popping, and took her hand. "Abby, your best friend is lying in there, scared and alone. She needs you to come sit with her."

Still shaking her head, Abby croaked, "I can't, Gibbs. She's my best friend… it's _my_ fault she's in there. I should've taken better care of her."

"Abby….Abby….Abbs….._Abby!" _When she was finally quiet and looking at him, he wiped a black tear from her cheek. "We talked about this. There was nothing you could have done." When she would have spoken, he shushed her. "If you had been there, you may have gotten hurt, too. How would that be helping Mandie?" He could see she was beginning to waver.

"What if she hates me now? Because of this?"

Gibbs put a hand on her cheek. "Do you _really_ think Mandie could ever hate you? Especially for something that was _not_ your fault….but I _do_ think she'll be hurt if you don't go in and see her."

Abby knew Gibbs was right. She undid her seatbelt and took Gibbs' hand as he helped her out of the car. Gibbs put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side and walked with her into the ER. "Gibbs? Will you come in with me?"

He sighed. He hated hearing that lost little girl voice from his Abby. "If you want me to." He kissed the top of her head as she just nodded in reply.

_The ER_

Tony was just walking out from the ER rooms when Abby and Gibbs walked in. He was still bare-chested underneath the NCIS jacket. Abby rushed up to him, but stopped just short of hugging him, and touched his chest.

"That's her blood, isn't it? It's Mandie's blood…."

Tony sighed and pulled her to him. He needed this hug as much as she did. He let her cry on him for a while, then slowly pushed her away and framed her face with his hands. "She needs you, Abbs."

Abby sniffled. "I…I'm scared, Tony. She's…she's like my sister, and….."

"…..And she needs you to be there for her, Abby. Now more than ever." Tony pulled her to his side in a one-armed hug. "Ducky and I got them to wait until you got here, so you could see her before she goes to surgery…"

"_Surgery_? She needs surgery? It's that bad? OhmiGod! Gibbs!" Abby turned to her father-figure. "Gibbs! She needs surgery! That's bad!"

Gibbs gave Tony a 'good going, genius!' look and hugged Abby. "Well if she needs surgery, we're holding her up standing out here talking. C'mon, Abbs."

As Gibbs led Abby through the door to the secure area, she turned and called to Tony. "Tony? Will you come, too?"

Going back in and seeing Mandie was the _last _thing Tony wanted to do. All those angry slashes, the blood, the bruises. He'd seen quite enough of it all. He'd have nightmares about it. If it were anyone else but Abby…. "Yeah, Abby. I'll come with you." He walked over and put his right arm around her while Gibbs had his left over her shoulder, and the trio walked in together.

Stopping outside Mandie's cubicle, Tony said he'd wait out there in the hall. He leaned dejectedly, tiredly, against the wall as Abby pushed aside the curtain. Seeing all the bandages and blood, Abby stopped dead. "OhmiGod! Gibbs!" She leaned back, resting on Gibbs' steady frame. He squeezed her shoulder, then nudged her forward gently. Wiping her cheeks, Abby crept closer to the bed, gasping when she saw the bandages on Mandie's face, covering the left side of her face. Sniffling, she reached out a shaking hand to take one of her friend's. "M-Mandie? It's me…Abby?"

"Ab-by?"

"Yeah, Mandie-Lou, I'm here." Abby wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I'm going to stay right here with you…"

"S-so s-scared, Ab-by. Hurts! Hate hosp'tal. Go h-home!"

Abby squeezed Mandie's hand. "I know, honey, but you have to stay for a little while, so they can take care of you."

"N-n-no! Home! Pl-please? Be good, pr'mise…..go home!"

Gibbs came over and moved Abby back a bit so she could compose herself. He picked up Mandie's hand and kissed it softly. "Hey, baby." He leaned over and brushed the hair off her forehead. "You're talkin' like DiNozzo, saying he's ok so he can leave the hospital."

"Ton-Tony f-foun' me?"

"Yeah, he did. You gave us all a good scare, Mandie-girl."

"S-sor-ry, Gib-bs. S-sorry….did-n't mean to…."

Gibbs gently pressed a finger to her swollen, bruised lips. "Shhhhhhh, not your fault, honey. Never your fault. Hear me?"

"H-hear…hear you. Hurts, Gibbs…."

"I know, but that's why you need to be in the hospital, so the doctors can make it stop hurting, ok?"

"O….o-k-kay. You…stay….me? Ab-by stay…me?"

Abby stepped back closer to the bed. "I'm going to be right here, Mandie, I promise. I won't leave you."

" 'kay. S-so..ti-tired….why so..ti-red?"

At that moment, a team of doctors and nurses came to the cubicle, dressed for performing surgery. They began talking to Mandie, really loud. Why do they always do that, Abby asked herself. It's not like she's eighty years old or anything.

Ducky popped in with another doctor, also dressed for surgery. "Oh, Jethro. Good, you're here. This is Dr. Josephs, a plastic surgeon. We got very lucky he's on call today." Gibbs and the doctor shook hands. "He's going to be repairing the damage to her face, and a few other things."

"Thanks, Doc," Gibbs said. "Appreciate you taking care of our girl."

"We'll take good care of her, Agent Gibbs. But we've got to get going. Any last minute good-byes?"

"Me!" Abby got as close as she could to a hug. "We'll all be right here waiting for you, ok? The whole gang is here, praying for you, ok?" She smiled at Mandie's doped up nod. "You're going to do great, Mandie-Lou, I promise." Abby gently kissed one of Mandie's cheeks. "Love you, sister-mine."

The medication was starting to kick in, slurring Mandie's words. "Luh' you, too, Abb-babby."

Gibbs and Abby stepped out of the cubicle to stand with Tony as the medical team wheeled her gurney down the hallway. Abby leaned heavily on Gibbs. "She's going to be ok, right? Even if you have to lie to me, tell me she's going to be alright." Gibbs kissed her on the head.

"She'll be fine, Abbs. She'll be fine."

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Waiting Room_

The members of Team Gibbs sat around the surgical waiting room, each person taking their turn pacing. One would sit down, another would stand up and pace. Tony had cleaned up and been given a scrub shirt to wear. Gibbs stood by the window, not really seeing anything outside. Abby huddled in a corner, knees pulled up to her chest, crying silently. Everyone had taken a turn trying to comfort her, but she was better left alone.

They had been waiting for about four hours when McGee came in with some coffees, sandwiches, and a Caf-Pow just for Abby. Abby just sat her sandwich to the side - she couldn't eat. Gibbs wasn't happy about that - she needed something to keep her going. "C'mon, Abby. Just a bite." She shook her head. Not thrilled about the sugar in it, but at least it would give her energy, Gibbs held out the Caf-Pow. "At least drink some of this. Please?" Wow, Gibbs said please…..Abby reached out a shaky hand and took the big foam cup and took a long draw of the red, sugary liquid. Smiling a little, Gibbs sat next to her and pulled her to his side, kissing her temple. "She'll be ok, Abbs."

Abby shrugged. "Why haven't we heard anything? They've been in there a long time, Gibbs….what if something went wrong? What if it's worse than they thought?"

"Shhhhhhhhh," he kissed her on the head. "You'll make yourself sick with all the 'what if's,' Abbs. She's got the best team of doctors in with her - you know Ducky wouldn't settle for second-best." He smiled when he got a tiny giggle out of her, and hugged her again.

The doors from surgery opened and a doctor came out. Ducky happened to pacing right by the door, so he got to the doctor first. They talked quietly for several minutes, and the doctor handed Ducky a photo. The elder gentleman seemed to wilt before regaining his composure. He thanked the doctor, who returned back into the surgical suite, and rested against the counter of the nurses' desk. Ducky looked up and made eye contact with Gibbs.

Not liking the look in Ducky's eyes, Gibbs got up and walked over to him. He followed him a few feet farther down the hallway. The team watched as Ducky did all the talking, handing Gibbs the picture the surgeon had given him. They watched the play of emotions on Gibbs' face, trying to figure out what was going on. First there was shock, then anger, then sadness, was that _guilt_? The members of the team came together, huddled into each other for comfort and support. Gibbs was _not_ an emotional man, so for him to be displaying all those feelings - things had to be bad. He turned and looked back at them, and he looked devastated. As Gibbs patted Ducky on the shoulder and started walking back to them, the team gripped each other tighter, knowing bad news was to come. At the barest of nods from Gibbs, Tony wormed his way out of McGee's and Ziva's clutches and went and wrapped Abby in his arms from behind, his head resting on her shoulder. He could feel her shaking like a leaf, and whispered in her ear that it would be alright.

Gibbs cleared his throat. "The, uh, the surgery is going well, they're uh, they're almost finished. A few of the slashes were deeper than they thought, one tore some muscle in her thigh. That's fixed." He sighed.

Ziva clung to McGee's side. "What are you not telling us, Gibbs?" McGee gave her a small, one-armed hug.

Abby cleared her throat. "What was in the photo, Gibbs?" She started to worry when he met her gaze, then looked away and wouldn't meet it again. "Gibbs," she ordered, "what was in the photo?"

Taking the photo out of his inside jacket pocket, Gibbs looked at it, tears in his eyes. "While they were…cleaning her up…the surgeons found something….that, given what's been in the news lately, they thought we should know about." He cleared his throat and played with the photo, trying to decide whether or not to show them. But that might be easier than saying the words. "As of right now, we're off the 'Monster Marine' case. We're handing everything over to Balboa and his team."

"Boss?" Tony looked at him confused. What did the Monster Marine have to do with what happened to Mandie?

"Mandie….is victim number ten of the Monster Marine," Gibbs said softly and slowly. Seeing the shock and disbelief on everyone's faces, he flipped the photo over so they could see what the surgeons had found. There, on the inside of her right thigh, was the mark of their Monster Marine….the globe and anchor, spread-winged eagle sitting atop them….burned, _branded_ into her skin.

Even standing right behind her and holding onto her, Tony wasn't ready when Abby started to drop to the floor. He caught her and picked her up, carrying her over to the chairs and sitting her down. Ducky came running when he saw Abby faint, but she was already starting to come out of it by the time he arrived at her side. McGee ran and got a bottle of water for Abby, while Ziva sat next to her and held her hand. Abby's eyes searched for and found Gibbs, and she knew from the look in his eyes that it was true. She began to cry. "No. No, no, no! You've gotta' be wrong! Tell me your wrong, Gibbs, tell me!" When he wouldn't answer her, she turned to Ducky. "It's not true, Ducky, please tell me it's not true!" she pleaded.

Poor Ducky looked ready to cry himself. "I am so..so sorry, Abigail…" He had to turn away as she began to cry harder. McGee and Ziva sat beside her, arms around her, and she clung to them, asking for it not to be true, that this wasn't happening. Both agents didn't bother hiding their own tears.

Looking away from Abby, Gibbs noticed one of his kids missing. Tony. These branding murders were already bothering him, what must knowing that a woman he knows, who is as much his little sister as Abby is, was one of that monster's victims be doing to him? He asked Ducky to stay with the group, and Gibbs went hunting for Tony. He'd checked closed, empty rooms, the chapel, the outdoor patio…no DiNozzo. As he walked down the hall for the second time, he heard a suspicious, loud noise coming from the men's room. He walked in, and the first thing he saw was the dented metal paper towel holder on the floor, paper towels everywhere. Looking around the corner, he saw Tony at the sink, running cold water over his hand and muttering to himself. He locked the door behind him and came up behind his SFA, the man he thought of as a son. "Want me to get Ducky?"

Tony looked up at Gibbs in the mirror. "No. Not my gun hand. It's ok."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow, looking into Tony's eyes in the mirror. "Paper towel holder might disagree."

Still keeping his hand under the cold water, Tony gazed around the room at the mess. "Oh. That. No, that was my foot." He nodded the wall. "There's a crack in the tile over there. _That_ was my hand."

Rolling his eyes, Gibbs reached forward and grabbed Tony's hand from under the water. It was red, a couple of the knuckles were already black and blue, but it appeared nothing was broken. "Not the way to handle this, DiNozzo."

Bending over, Tony grabbed a few paper towels off the floor and dried his hands. "Well, sorry, but I couldn't hold it in 'til we found this guy." He threw the paper towels into the trash bin angrily. "And I had to….." his voice got shaky, and he could feel tears building in his eyes. "It was get angry, or….and DiNozzos don't…." Tony turned away, embarrassed when a tear escaped down his cheek.

Gibbs could understand what Tony was going through. The both of them had intimate knowledge of what this bastard did to his captives, and to think that someone they knew - someone in their family - went through all that….hell, Gibbs wanted to smash something too.

"He _branded_ her, Gibbs. If that jogger hadn't been jogging by when he did….if we hadn't been there already…..she'd be…"

"'Ey." Gibbs wrapped his hand around the back of Tony's neck. "That jogger _did_ jog by, and we _were_ there…._you_ were there, Tony. I know you're angry….I'm angry, too." he made Tony look him in the eye, let him see the pain in his own eyes. "But in _this_ family, it's _ok_ to feel, Tony. It doesn't make you any less a man….takes a hell of a strong man to show it." Gibbs felt a tear run down his own cheek.

Watching a tear roll down the cheek of the strongest-willed man he knew, something released in Tony and he gave in to his feelings, letting the tears flow. Gibbs pulled Tony's head to his shoulder, kissed the top of his 'son's' head. "Why her, Gibbs? Why did he have to take Mandie? She doesn't deserve this, Gibbs…"

"I know, Tony…I know," Gibbs said quietly. "None of those girls deserved this."

"But this is _Mandie_, Gibbs. _Our_ Mandie. She can't swat a fly without feeling guilty. Innocent, sweet Mandie." After a minute or two, Tony picked his head up off Gibbs' shoulder and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "How's Abby?" He sniffled.

Gibbs gave Tony's shoulder a squeeze. "She could use her big brother right about now."

Tony sniffled once more and sighed. "On it, '_dad_.'" He gave himself one more look in the mirror, decided he didn't care if everyone knew he'd cried, and went to the door. As he unlocked it, he turned to Gibbs. "Thanks, boss."

Gibbs stood and watched Tony leave, hoping he'd done the right thing by getting the younger man to let his feelings out. He went to the sink, turned the water on and splashed his face. He stared at his reflection then stood. Then with a cry of anger, he slammed his left fist into the wall.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**VERY EMO CHAPTER, AND I KNOW GIBBS AND TONY WERE KINDA' OOC AT THE END, BUT IT FIT THE STORY. FOR THE REAL MANDIE, (Mandielouluvsewe - go read her awesome Tony stories!) I HOPE THIS WAS EVERYTHING YOU WANTED, AND THAT YOU DON'T HATE ME FOR HURTING YOU SO BADLY IN THE STORY.**

_**DISCLAIMER - THE USUAL**_

_**SHAMELESS BEGGING FOR REVIEWS - **_**PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! MAKE THE REAL MANDIE, THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS STORY, FEEL BETTER ABOUT HAVING BEEN SO BRUTALIZED FOR THE SAKE OF A STORY! AND MAKE ME FEEL LESS GUILTY FOR DOING THAT TO HER! **_**PLEASE**_** REVIEW!**

**Thanks!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 6**

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Mandie had been out of surgery for about ten hours, but she was still unconscious. The surgeon explained that even though she was on strong pain meds, he'd ordered a potent sedative to keep her asleep. The pain when she woke was going to be incredible, so he wanted Mandie to have some healing time without causing her undue pain.

In the ten hours since she'd returned from surgery, Abby had been all but glued to Mandie's bedside. Gibbs kept trying to get Abby to take a break - she was exhausted, hadn't eaten or slept in almost 24 hours. But Abby took her loyalty to her friends seriously - if she said she'd be by your side, she was by your side. But Gibbs was beginning to worry about her. "Abbs, at least take a walk, get some fresh air."

Abby never took her eyes off her friend. "I'm fine, Gibbs."

"You're not _fine_, Abby. You're going to make yourself sick if you don't take a break. I promise you, she won't be alone, I'll stay with her."

"She needs me, Gibbs. I'm not leaving her."

Gibbs sighed. Everyone on the team had tried to pry Abby away, but none of them had had any luck, either. He almost wished Mandie would wake up, so Abby could get a break. Sighing, he walked out of the hospital room. Ziva was just returning from a cafeteria run, so he grabbed a few of the bags to lighten her load.

"Thank you, Gibbs. Abby is still….?"

"Yeah, she refuses to leave Mandie's side." He and Ziva had joined the rest of the team in the family waiting room.

Ducky helped pass out the food and drink. "Well that's because she feels this is all her fault, Jethro. If she hadn't left Amanda alone that night, this never would have happened, or so Abigail thinks."

McGee moved a few chairs around the table. "But if she'd been there, she might have been hurt or taken, too."

"Yes, her rational side knows that. But her heart…..we all know how big a heart our Abigail has, especially for family."

Gibbs sank into a chair on a heavy sigh. "So what do we do, Duck? You've seen her - she's ready to collapse, herself. I've already got one kid in the hospital, I don't think I can handle two."

Finishing his sandwich in about three bites, Tony threw away his trash and stretched. "There is a way…."

Eyebrows raised, everyone looked at Tony. "And that would be?"

"Heh, didn't realize I'd spoken out loud. It's nothing, typical DiNozzo bad idea." Tony began backing up as Gibbs stalked him, giving him the glare. "You won't like it, boss, honest. That was just my big mouth talking before I thought again, you know how you hate when I do that, so I thought, and it's really a bad idea. Bad, _bad_ idea, so I'm just gonna' shut up now." He felt his insides melt when Gibbs raised the eyebrow. "Ok, but just remember, I told you it was a bad idea, and that you wouldn't like it, so no head slap, because telling you was _your_ idea, mine was to shut up…..ok, telling you." He took a deep breath. "My idea is to just go in and grab Abby and drag her out." He cringed, waiting for the head slap. "See, I told you you wouldn't like it…" One eye opened to check things out when the awaited head slap never came. Huh, boss actually seemed to be thinking about it. His eye scrunched shut again quickly when he saw the hand coming toward his head. He jumped when he got a head rub instead. Tony's eyes sprang open. "So…..you aren't…..mad?….That I suggested….manhandling Abby?"

Gibbs smiled and patted his cheek. "Didn't say that." He continued to rub Tony's head. "Your idea, your play." He watched as Tony figured it out.

"Me? But…" Tony choked at the glare Gibbs gave him. "Ok, ok. But no interference. No matter how bad it gets, you can't get in the way, boss. And this is Abby we're talking about - your favorite…..it's going to get rough….ok, then. Everyone just stay out of the way, and make sure if Abby escapes, she can't get back in that room." Tony walked slowly into Mandie's room. "Hey, Abbs."

"Hey, Tony," Abby answered, listlessly.

"Listen, why don't you come to the caf with me, grab a sandwich or a juice…."

"I'm not leaving, Tony. So just tell everyone else not to bother, I'm staying right here."

Tony went over and stood behind Abby, put his hands on her shoulders. "You're going to make yourself sick, Abby. That won't do Mandie any good. C'mon, please?"

Abby's only response was to pick up and hold Mandie's hand.

Tony sighed, trying to come up with a way to carry out his plan. "Alright, if you really want to stay….but you have to get up and move around once in a while, walk around the room, jumping jacks, cartwheels….whatever it is you do to keep you our Energizer Abby in the lab. Ok?" He waited for her nod. "Ok, so…start now." He ignored her grumpy look. "Phys. Ed. Major here, Abbs. You've been sitting in the same spot forever, you need to work your muscles so you don't cramp up. C'mon, I'll do it with you…"

Abby sighed. "If I do this, _then_ will you all leave me alone?"

"For a little while, yeah. C'mon, up you go…." Tony grabbed onto Abby's arm with one hand while the other moved the chair out of the way. "We'll just take a few turns around the room, ok?" he saw her roll her eyes, but she began to walk. When he got close to the door, Tony wrapped both arms around Abby and began pulling her out the door. As expected, Abby shrieked and screamed to be let go.

"I'll boil you from the inside and leave no forensic evidence! Put me down, DiNozzo! Gibbs! Help me!" She was stunned when the man sadly turned his back to her. "No! Gibbs?" When yelling and threats didn't work, she began crying, but it turned real when she realized that no one was going to help her, that they'd separated her and Mandie. Tony half-carried, half-dragged her to the family waiting room and plopped her on the sofa. She immediately got up, only to be pushed back down. With one hand on the arm of the sofa and the other on the back, Tony had effectively trapped her on the seat. She began hitting him in the stomach. "Let me up! Tony, please, let me up? Please!" She kept hitting and crying, finally reaching the point where she couldn't pick up her arms, she was so tired. She just sat there limply and sobbed.

Tony closed his eyes and hardened his stomach muscles to absorb the shock of her punches. He'd been sacked harder by linebackers in college football, but he knew he'd still have a bruise or two. He did his best to shut out Abby's pleas to let her go….holding her hostage like this went against everything in him, and it was killing him, listening to her cries. But he just stood there over her, hard as a stone, taking everything she dished out, knowing that this was for her own good. He felt the change in her body when she gave in, but he stood over her for a few seconds longer, just to make sure. When he was certain she wasn't playing him, he slowly stood, prepared for her to flee….when she didn't, Tony sat next to Abby on the sofa and pulled her to his side, resting his chin on her head. Abby just fell into his arms, exhausted both physically and mentally. He just let her cry, rubbing his hand up and down her back, whispering a lot of nothing in her ear, holding her tight. Eventually, Abby fell asleep in his arms. And he continued to hold her, getting a measure of comfort from the hug as well.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

_Several Hours Later_

Mandie had woken about an hour ago, and Abby was right there by her bedside. While she may not have liked the way the team went about it, she grudgingly admitted that she did feel a little better after getting a nap. She was a bit put-out with Gibbs, though. Mandie didn't remember much about what happened, and Gibbs was pushing Abby to get her talk about it, saying that talking would help her remember. In fact, Abby had had an argument outside the room with Gibbs about it. She didn't think remembering everything was all that important right now, with the pain Mandie was in, and as afraid as she was. Abby wanted to let her remember in her own time.

Gibbs, on the other hand, was trying to tell Abby that Mandie was going to need to remember everything eventually anyway, so she could give her statement to NCIS. Better she remember it all now, while she was safe in the hospital, than alone at home. He knew Abby was fiercely loyal to her friends, but he hadn't thought she would stand up to him like this. McGee had finally intervened, and got Abby to admit that were this any other person, she'd be agreeing with Gibbs. With a pout, Abby made a deal with Gibbs - if Mandie wanted to talk about it, she would listen, but she wasn't going to get the ball rolling with all kinds of questions. She was going to let Mandie bring it up first. While it wasn't exactly ideal, Gibbs agreed.

So, here Abby sat, holding Mandie's hand, trying to convince her friend that she needed to stay in the hospital for a little while longer. Everyone had been in to visit for a few minutes, one at a time, so as not to tire Mandie out.

Mandie knew who to play to - McGee wouldn't budge on getting her out, neither would Ziva. She knew her tears, while hurting Gibbs, wouldn't get him to spring her. But Tony….the man was mush. Some tears, a lot of begging…..but just before he caved, he made himself leave the room. Maybe next time, if he was in the room alone, without Abby or one of the others to break the spell.

_Waiting Room_

"Face it, Tony," joked Ziva, "you are mushy when it comes to a woman's tears."

"The term is _mush_, Ziva, not mushy." Tony pouted. "And I am not. I can understand her aversion to hospitals, that's all."

While McGee and Ziva harassed Tony, Gibbs frowned at who he saw coming down the hall. Balboa. He'd known the man would show up eventually - this was his team's case now. He just didn't think it would be quite this soon. He ran up and stopped him before he could reach Mandie's room.

"You know I have to talk to her, Gibbs."

Gibbs sighed. "I know, just…not yet." He ignored Balboa's eye roll and led him to the waiting room.

Seeing the other agent walk in, Tony knew what he was there for, and it wasn't to find out how Mandie was. He strode up to stand next to Gibbs. "You're not talking to her, Matt."

Balboa rolled his eyes again. "So I've been told. C'mon, guys, you know the job."

"Yeah, we do" Gibbs said calmly. "That's why you're not talking to her yet." When the other agent would have protested, Gibbs continued, "she just woke up an hour ago. She was sedated all this time. She's still groggy and not even sure where she is or why she's here. You won't get anything useable out of her right now. If you won't believe me, will you believe Ducky?"

Balboa sighed. "No, no. I believe you." He turned to walk away but stopped. "I _will_ have to talk to her, Gibbs. Doesn't matter that she's one of the family."

Gibbs shook his head. "I won't stop you." He watched Balboa walk away. "Hey, Matt….thanks," he said, when the other agent turned back. Balboa just nodded, and walked away.

"Maybe _you_ won't stop him," Tony muttered under his breath.

Gibbs turned to Tony. "He's doing his job, DiNozzo. Just like you'd be doing if that was _his_ sister lying in there."

"Maybe," Tony murmured, even though part of him knew Gibbs was right. Just because _he_ could, Tony walked across the hall into Mandie's room.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_Mandie's Hospital Room_

"…No it's not, honey, it's not your fault!" Abby was about to cry, just as Mandie was already. Her best friend, as good as her _sister_, was blaming herself for being attacked. A part of Abby wanted to tell Mandie the truth, that she was the victim of a serial kidrapturer (that was the mashed name she'd invented for what this guy did - kidnap, rape, and torture). Not only a victim, but the only _surviving _victim. But Abby knew there was no way her friend could handle hearing that right now.

"Yes it _is!_" Mandie sobbed. "I was stupid! I should have known better! Why was I so stupid?"

"You are _not_ stupid! This isn't your fault! I promise you, it's not your fault! Please, Mandie…" Abby took Mandie's hand in one of hers, and with the other tried drying the tears rolling down the other woman's face.

This was the sight that greeted Tony when he walked in - the two women he considered his little sisters crying. He quickly walked to the bed and pulled a chair up next to Abby's. "Hey, hey, hey, now. What's all this, huh?" He leaned in and gently kissed the top of Mandie's head.

Mandie turned her one not-swollen eye to Tony, pleadingly. "I'm sorry…sorry, Tony…so stu-stupid!"

Abby sniffled loudly. "Will you tell her, Tony? Tell her she's _not _stupid! And that this _wasn't_ her fault!"

Looking back at Mandie, Tony was shocked. "Ohhh, baby, no! No, honey, this isn't your fault."

"Yes it _is!"_ She was starting to get hysterical, and she was scared about that, but she couldn't stop it from happening. "Was so stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Mandie hit the bed, which caused pain to travel up her arm, making her cry even more. "All my fault! Should've looked….didn't look! Why didn't I look?"

Tony knew when he was in over his head, and this was one of those times. Without taking his eyes off Mandie, he quietly told Abby to go get Gibbs. "Listen to me. You were attacked, baby, this was _not _your fault. You hear me, Mandie-mine? This is not your fault."

"But I…I was so stu-stupid! I didn't look! I know better! Should have looked!"

Tony grabbed her hand and held it tightly, trying to send her some of his strength. "Didn't look at what, honey? Tell me, where should you have looked?" Her tear-swollen violet eye (the other was black-and-blue swollen shut) was tearing his heart to pieces. How could this sweet person think something like this could ever be her fault?

"The _door_, Tony! I should've looked before I opened the door!" Mandie was gasping for air in between words. "I know better! I _always_ look! Always! Why didn't I? Why didn't I look this time? Why? All my fault! Should have checked first!"

Tony was leaning on the bed near Mandie's head, whispering reassurances that he didn't think she heard, when Gibbs strode in and sat on the other side of the bed. " 'Ey," he said softly, picking up her other hand and kissing the back. "What's this nonsense I hear about you being stupid? Huh?"

Mandie looked at Gibbs, feeling even worse. This man was like a father to her, and she hated disappointing him. "So sorry! I'm sorry! Please! Please don't lea-leave me! I'm sorry!"

Gibbs put a finger gently to her lips. "Shhhhhh, get that idea right out of your head, baby girl. I'm not going anywhere, ok?" He gave her a little smile when she nodded. "Ok. Now that that's cleared up, let's clear up the rest of it. Are you listening to me, Mandie-girl?" She nodded. "Good. You. Are. _Not_. Stupid. Understand?"

"But…!"

"Ah-ah-ah…" Gibbs pressed his finger over her lips again. "Listening, remember?" He could feel her pulse racing, and knew she was on the verge of a breakdown. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Nothing to apologize for. None of this is your fault -ah-ah-ah….I don't care if you didn't check to see who was at the door first. You did not ask for this. You didn't plan this. _Not. Your. Fault._ Understand?" Gibbs took a minute and looked over at Tony. "Go find the doc, tell him she needs another sedative. Her pulse is racing, she's hyperventilating. Go."

"On it, boss!" Tony gave the hand he'd been holding a quick kiss and ran out the door in search of Mandie's doctor. Seeing her nurse nearby, he ran to her and described the situation, then watched as she went to the nearest phone, making sure she was calling the doctor. When he was satisfied, he returned to the waiting room. Ziva was sitting with Abby, trying to calm her down. McGee came up next to him.

"She really thinks this is all her fault?" McGee asked quietly.

Keeping an eye on the hallway, looking for the doctor, Tony murmured a yes. "She made a simple mistake. And because of that, she thinks she's stupid and deserved what she got because she made a simple mistake." Once he saw Mandie's doctor heading for her room, Tony gave a sigh of relief. While he hated seeing her doped up again, she wasn't going to get any better carrying on the way she was. With one last glance behind him at her room, Tony hooked an arm over McGee's shoulder and they walked across the waiting room to join the girls.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**SHORT AND ANGSTSY, I KNOW. BUT NOT BAD FOR TRYING TO BREAK THRU WRITER'S BLOCK! AND TO THE REAL MANDIE-LOU (****MANDIELOULUVSEWE**_**- **_**GO READ HER STORIES! VERY TONY-CENTRIC! AND AWESOME!) **_**-**_** SORRY I MADE YOU A BASKET CASE. WHAT AM I SAYING - NO I'M NOT! LOL**

_**THIS IS THE SHAMELESS BEGGING PORTION OF OUR STORY - IN THE WORDS OF THE BEATLES, 'PLEASE PLEASE ME' - BE SO KIND AS TO LEAVE A LITTLE REVIEW, SO THE REAL MANDIE-LOU KNOWS HER INSANITY IN THIS CHAPTER WASN'T IN VAIN! LOL PLUS, YOU'LL MAKE MY WEEK! LOVE THE JOY OF REVIEWS! **_

_**DISCLAIMER - MORE OF THE USUAL OF STUFF I DON'T OWN OR GIVE TO ANYONE ELSE.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 7**

_The Next Day_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Gibbs and Abby were pacing around in the doorway of the waiting room, waiting for the nurse to finish her morning rituals with Mandie. Gibbs saw the nurse finally leaving, but the look on her face concerned him. She looked worried. "Stay here," he murmured to Abby and walked over to the nurse. "Natalie?"

The young woman jumped. "Oh, Agent Gibbs, you startled me."

Gibbs smiled to put the young woman at ease. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help but notice that you seem worried about something. Is there something wrong with Mandie?"

Natalie wasn't sure what to do. She should report this to the duty nurse, but Agent Gibbs _is_ her Next of Kin on record…..she sighed. "I'm not sure what to do, Agent Gibbs," she began anxiously. "I was changing Mandie's bandages, and…."

Raising an eyebrow, Gibbs asked, "Is there a problem with some of her sutures?"

"No, not the sutures, those are healing nicely. It's, um….it's the…brand…..on her thigh." When the agent just stared at her, she continued, "well, I was changing the dressing, and Mandie noticed that this wasn't a cut, like all the others. She, um, asked what it was. And I didn't know what to say…..I know she doesn't know about …that….yet, but I hate leaving her worried about it….."

Sighing, Gibbs rubbed his eyes. "Ok, thank you for telling me, Natalie. I'll take care of it."

"Are you sure? ….. Of course you are. Thank you, Agent Gibbs." She scurried away to her next patient.

While Gibbs was talking to the nurse, Tony had arrived. He'd gone home to nap and grab a shower. He stepped up to Abby. "What's going on?"

Abby's face was scrunched up in suspicion. "I don't know. Nurse Natalie came out of Mandie's room looking like something was wrong. Gibbs made me stay here."

Gibbs walked over to his "kids" with a lot on his mind. They were going to have to tell Mandie what really happened to her, and he knew Abby, especially, was going to get emotional and try to talk him out of it. But it had to be done. He was the dad, what he says, goes. 'Keep telling yourself that, Jethro,' he said to himself, trying to prepare for the argument to come.

Tony put an arm around Abby's shoulders, but he wasn't sure if it was to support _her_ or to keep her under control for Gibbs. "What's up, boss? What's with the nurse?"

The elder agent sighed. He wasn't going to sugar-coat it. "We've got to tell Mandie what happened." He got the expected outburst from Abby, and patiently waited her out.

"Why now, boss? Thought we were going to wait for the psych-"

"Mandie saw the brand on her thigh while the nurse was changing her bandages, noticed it was different than all the other cuts, asked what it was. She started to panic when the nurse wouldn't tell her."

Abby was worried. "But Gibbs! She's having a hard enough time accepting she was kidnapped - think what knowing about the Monster Marine will do to her!"

Gibbs sighed. "We don't have a choice, Abbs. I'd rather her hear it from _us_, rather than someone else, and the longer we wait, the better the chances that someone lets it slip. Balboa still has to interview her - who would you rather Mandie hear it from - you and me, or Balboa?"

"Ohhhhh, I guess you're right." Abby pouted. "But I just want it on the record that I think this is a bad idea."

Nodding seriously, Gibbs stepped aside for Abby to precede him to Mandie's room. "Duly noted." He rolled his eyes at Tony, who just smiled and followed Abby into their friend's room.

**N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S* ** N*C*I*S***

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

_Mandie Sewell's Room_

The nurse was right, Gibbs mused, as Mandie started pelting them with questions the moment they entered the room.

"What's going on, Gibbs? Why is that thing on my leg different? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" Tears streamed down her face. She pulled the sheet off her thigh and pushed her hospital gown up enough for them all to see the brand - she'd taken off the dressing over it. "That's not a tattoo, I've seen all stages of Abby's tatts, and none of them ever looked like this. It feels different, too…what's happening to me? Why can't Tony look at it? What happened to me, Gibbs? "

When Mandie had pulled aside the sheet and gown, and Tony had gotten a look at that brand on her thigh….he sucked in a breath and had to look away. Bad enough seeing it in photos of dead girls he didn't know. But to see it on someone alive, someone he was close to…. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to hit something. A hand slipping into his startled him, and he looked down to see that Abby had taken his hand. Whether to give him comfort or herself - well, he guessed it didn't really matter. He gave her hand a small squeeze, and was reassured when she squeezed back.

Gibbs pulled his chair closer to Mandie's bed and reached for her hand, kissing the back of it. "You're safe now, Mandie. That's the important thing. You're safe."

Mandie could feel it getting more and more difficult to breathe. No one said you were safe unless you hadn't been before. She was so tired of crying, of being scared….

"What do you remember, about what happened to you, Mandie? Can you tell me? Deep breaths, now….good…now let it out….. There you go…just breathe, nice and slow like that…atta' girl. Now, start from the moment you opened the door. Did he push his way in?"

Trying to get ahold of herself, Mandie took some deep breaths, trying to get her panic under control. She had to do this, had to show them she was a big girl, that she could handle it. She sighed. "No, not at first. I said something about him not being Po, the delivery boy I was expecting from the restaurant. He didn't say anything at first. Just stared at me, like he was memorizing me or something." She wiped her eyes. "I was getting this real hinky feeling, so I started to shut the door. That's when he pushed his way in." Her voice trembled on the last couple of words. "I asked him what he thought he was doing, tried to block him, but he just knocked me right down to the ground. He shut the door, and um…." she sniffled, feeling the tears start again. "…Um, he didn't go further into the apartment, just stood over me, staring….I knew he was going to hurt me, I could see it in his eyes." She started speaking faster as the tears came. "He never said a word, just stared down at me, and I was just waiting for him to do it - whatever he was going to do…I think I even said that, to 'just do it, already,' or something like that…I don't know, I'm not sure….when he reached down, I thought, 'this is it.' I shut my eyes, screamed….but he just grabbed me by the front of my shirt and hauled me off the floor. H-he dragged me to the -the door, and said that-that if I made any n-noise, he'd-he'd-he'd kill m-me! I wanted to scream, I did, Gibbs! But I didn't….I didn't do anything, just like he t-told me to…..I'm sorry! I should have yelled, should have screamed…!"

Gibbs brushed the hair out of her eyes gently. "Nah, you did the right thing. He said he'd kill you, and you had no reason not to believe him. It's ok, Mandie. What else do you remember?"

She sobbed for a minute, stunned that this man - whom she held in highest regard - told her she'd done the right thing in doing nothing. And then Abby came and sat on the other side of her bed, grasping her hand. Mandie clung to it like a lifeline. And Tony….she didn't have any brothers of her own, so she relished the fact that he seemed to have adopted her as his little sister, much like he did Abby. He came and sat next to Abby, up near her head, running his fingers through her hair, letting Mandie know he was there for her. Her triangle of protection was complete. Mandie was kind of embarrassed, remembering her almost nakedness when Tony found her. "I…I'm not sure…just fla-flashes, really. He…he left me alone for a while, at first. Wh-when he came back, he, um, told…told me….he'd watched m-me…at the cl-club, and, and the way I w-was acting with 'those guys' in, in my group made, made him s-sick. An-and, and when someone from outsi-side my circle want-wanted to dance with me, I called, called my little b-b-boyfr-friends in to, to, to s-save me."

Gibbs did his best to keep his anger in check - he knew that Mandie would think it was directed at her. Still gripping her hand, he put his other hand on her head, like a parent testing for a fever. "Is that when he raped you, Mandie?" He'd expected an explosion of tears, was prepared for that reaction. What he _wasn't _prepared for was Mandie closing her eyes and nodding her head, tears silently rolling down her face. She thought he was disappointed in her. He looked across the bed to Abby, who also had silent tears tracking down her cheeks. Looking over at Tony, Gibbs saw the younger man's forehead was resting on the top of Mandie's head, eyes closed, fighting tears.

Mandie brought a white-bandaged wrist up to wipe her nose, and sniffled. "He sm-smacked me across the face….s-said that, that," the tears began in earnest again. "He said that, um, that there was no one ar-around t-to s-s-save me n-now…!"

Brushing a tear off her cheek, Gibbs asked her another important question. "When did he start cutting you?"

"I, I'm not s-sure. Everything just all runs together after that….I kn-know he got my leg wh-when I tried to r-run away-ay. And once, someth-thing I said m-made him m-mad, and he just st-started , started slicing m-me. He-e slashed down my, my f-face, said, said, see if, if my b-boyfriend-s would save, save me when I, I, I was-wasn't p-pr-pretty an-anym-more!" She didn't even feel Tony's kiss to her head, and she certainly didn't believe Gibbs - father figure or not - when he said it was ok. It would never be ok again. "Gi-Gibbs," she hiccupped. "What, what is that, that…that _thing_ on my leg?"

Gibbs searched for the right words to explain. He switched hands holding hers, the other traced the area around the brand, barely touching. "You're right, that's not a tattoo. It's…a brand. And…we've…seen it before."

Mandie looked at Gibbs, confused, then to Abby and Tony. "What…what do y-you mean, you've s-seen it be-before? Where? Where did you s-see it?"

Gibbs took a deep breath, thinking how much he hated to do this. He couldn't look at Tony or Abby - their grief would make this tough Marine give in and not say anything. "We…" he stopped, took another deep breath, cleared his throat. "We've… seen it on a case."

"A case? Like, an NCIS case?" Mandie was confused. "He…he's done this….be-before?" She watched Gibbs nod silently. "S-ssso you know, know who it is?" Gibbs shook his head. "Wh-what about the other….other wom-woman? Couldn't she, she hel-help you?" Mandie felt tears on her hand, and looked over to see Abby's head bent over, her tears falling on her hand. Looking at Tony, she could see he was trying not to cry as he stroked her hair. "What?"

"No, Mandie, she…_they _couldn't help us."

Mandie was confused. "They? What….h-he's…how, how many?"

"Mandie, honey, that's not…."

She wouldn't be put off. "How…m-many, Gibbs?" When the agent just shook his head, she turned to the other two. "Tony?…..Abby?….Abby, pl-please…"

Abby raised her head slowly, looking Mandie in the eye for a quick moment. This was her best friend since kindergarten….as good as her sister. She knew she couldn't lie to her. She wiped her nose, then cleared her throat. "N-n-nine," she whispered, looking back down.

"N-nine? Nine w-women? Oh my God!" Mandie started to hyperventilate. "He's…he's…nine other women? S-so, so, some-someone, one of them, won't they he-help you? There's got, got to be _some_thing…. He can't…nine others…."

"It's not that they _won't _help us, honey…..they…they _can't…. _help us…."

She hoped she was reading Gibbs' expression wrong. "They're, they're .ok, right?"

Gibbs kissed Mandie's forehead. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart…."

"No! No! I don't wan-want to h-hear 'I'm s-sorry'! I w-want to hear they're, they're ok! Tell m-me they're ok, Gibbs!" Tears choked her. "Tell me th-they're ok, please tell me they're o-ok!" Gibbs picked her up as gently as he dared and held her to his chest, murmuring how sorry he was as she soaked his shirt with her tears. "A-all of them? How…how? One of them must….all of them can't be…." Just looking at her friends' faces, she knew they were telling the truth. "Noooooo!" she sobbed. "Why th-them, and n-not m-me?" She wanted to strike out at Gibbs, hit him with her fists, but she couldn't move that well with all the bruises, stitches, and swelling. "Why didn't I die, too?"

Gently, Gibbs sat Mandie up so he could look into her eyes. "I need you to listen to me," he growled softly. "I don't _ever_ want to hear you talk like that again, you hear me?" He gave her the Gibbs Stare. "You're here because you're supposed to be. You didn't die because we _need_ you, Mandie."

Mandie wiped her face and cheeks the best she could. "But I…I can't help…I can't help you f-find him, I don't re-re-remember anything imp-portant…."

Gibbs was crushed - as were Abby and Tony - that Mandie thought they needed her just to catch the Monster Marine.

"No, Mandie!" Abby cried. "We don't need you for that! We _need_ you because you're our friend, because you're family….we _love _you! _I_ love you! You've got to know that!" She wiped her face, which was streaked with black. "You're more than just a victim of some deranged Marine…."

Something clicked in Mandie's head. "Wait….deranged Marine? Is this….this was you-your M-Monster Mar-marine, Abby?" She was incredulous. "The one fr-from the news? Oh my God! I w-was supp-posed to d-die! Out there, in, in the w-woods! I was s-supposed to d-die!" She pulled her hands away from Abby and Gibbs, wrapped her arms around her middle as best she could. Her gaze flashed by the brand on her thigh. "This…this was the de-detail you k-kept from, from the med-media….the br…the br…._that thing_." She gestured angrily to her thigh. "So it's tr-true. I was al-m-most killed by, by that Mons-s-ster Mar-Marine…. I was supp-supposed to be….what, num-num-number t-ten?" Mandie glared at the people she called her closest friends, her family-away-from-home. "How could you, you keep that fr-from m-me? You've known….all, all this t-time!" She glared as best she could with one eye at Abby. "I should-should've expect-ed it from Gi-Gibbs and T-Tony, but y-you, Ab-Abby? You're, you're supposed to b-be my fr-frien-friend!"

"We're _all_ your friends, Mandie. We weren't trying to hide anything from you….we didn't think you could handle finding out what happened….." Tony tried calming her down.

" 'Finding out what hap-happened'? I didn't 'find out' wh-what happ-ened! It hap-happened. To _me_! So don't tell me what I c-can and can't han-handle! Cuz I, I already li-lived through it!" She'd started yelling.

Gibbs put on his calm, steady voice. "We never meant to keep secrets from you, Mandie. Don't get mad at Tony and Abby - they only had your best interests at heart, didn't want you any more hurt than you already were."

Mandie kept her one-eyed gaze on her gauze-wrapped hands. "I'd like you to leave, now," she said quietly.

"Not until we've finished talking about…"

"_I'm_ finished talking. And I'd like you - _all _of you - to leave. Please." When no one moved, she raised her voice. "Get. Out. Now." Shocked, still no one moved. "Leave! Get out! Get out!"

Gibbs was the first to move. He stood, took a few steps away from the bed. "Ok, honey, ok. We'll go." He ignored the stunned look from Tony and motioned him to follow him.

"Mandie, honey….you know we didn't….."

"Just _go_!" She wouldn't look at anyone, didn't want to see their faces or she'd lose her resolve.

Tony and Gibbs slowly left the room, while Abby hung back. "Mandie…? C'mon, Mand, don't be like this….Mandie Lou…?" A tear ran down her cheek. Backing away slowly, in case Mandie changed her mind, she bumped into Gibbs, who was standing in the door waiting for her. "Gibbs…." she whined.

Putting an arm around her shoulders, Gibbs led her away from Mandie's room. He and Abby and Tony stood in the doorway of the waiting area when they heard the smashing of glass from Mandie's room, followed closely by a scream and more crying. Abby stood between Tony and Gibbs, and they both moved in and lent her their strength. They watched a couple of nurses run into Mandie's room, surprised to hear the all-call for Mandie's doctor. The three of them walked as a group closer to the room when a nurse came out, almost bumping into them. "What happened?" asked Gibbs. "Why do you need the doc?"

The nurse looked over her shoulder at the room. "Nothing too serious. She just ripped some stitches, popped a couple of staples. The stitches aren't a problem, they could be done right in her room, but the staples need to be done in surgery." She looked over and saw the doctor striding quickly down the hall. "Oh, doctor, come in, please."

The doctor pushed the door open andwent in, followed by the nurse. Abby tried to follow, but the nurse stopped her. "But I need to be with her! She's afraid…"

"Once the doctor has a look, we'll let you in." She politely shut the door in Abby's face.

Abby walked dejectedly to the waiting room and sat in the nearest chair. "What have I done? She's….like a sister to me. She's never been this mad at me before, ever! What did I do, Gibbs?"

Gibbs stood beside her and quietly put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "You didn't do anything, Abbs. We gave her a lot to digest. She'll get over it and go back to being our Mandie again."

She looked up at Gibbs hopefully. "You think so?"

Gibbs shared a knowing look with Tony. Neither of them were too sure about Mandie coming around too quickly. "Just give her some time, Abbs. She'll come around." Gibbs squeezed her shoulder again when she pouted.

Several minutes later, the team saw a surgical team enter the room, and seconds later come out, rolling a droopy, sedated Mandie with them. Some last minute instructions, and they hurried to the surgical suite. Mandie's doctor came over to the three watchers. "Mandie needs some staples replaced. She tore them out when she threw the vase across the room. The stitches are being done at the same time, so she should be back in her room in half an hour or so. She'll be fine."

Gibbs shook the doctor's hand. "Thanks, doc."

True to the doctor's word, twenty-six minutes later, a re-bandaged Mandie was wheeled back to her room. A nurse stayed behind to finish hooking up all the IV's. Gibbs, Abby, and Tony were about to enter as the nurse came out. "Oh! Sorry, you startled me. Um, you…can't go in, just yet." She looked guilty.

Tony was upset. "Why not?"

"Um, well…" The nurse was nervous. The two younger ones didn't bother her, but the older gentleman was intimidating. "She, um, Miss Sewell asked me to keep everyone out. She doesn't want to see anyone right now."

"Abby, Tony. Come on." Gibbs nudged the 'kids' back to the waiting room.

"But, boss…!"

"She'll let us know when she's ready, DiNozzo. It might be a while, but she'll let us in."

_Two Days Later_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

It had been a rough two days for Team Gibbs. Mandie still refused to see any of the team, with the exception of Ducky, and he never told them much when he returned from his brief visits inside her room. Just that she was healing nicely, but still withdrawn.

The worst, though, was that the news that there was a survivor of the Monster Marine somehow leaked to the media, and the floor was constantly bombarded by reporters from TV and newspapers, photographers. Seems everyone on the team had caught someone sneaking into Mandie's room in disguise at one time or another. For her own safety, Mandie was secretly moved to another floor, and an NCIS agent stationed at her door. No one got in that didn't flash a badge or hospital ID.

Gibbs had finally convinced Abby to let Ziva take her home for a few hours to get some rest, a shower, and something to eat. Tony, McGee, and Ducky and Jimmy had returned to NCIS to do some work - they needed a change of scenery. So Gibbs was alone when Balboa arrived. He walked up to the other agent while the guard went into Mandie's room to see if she would see Balboa.

"I have to do this, Gibbs, you know that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just…"

Balboa looked at Gibbs sympathetically. "Yeah, I know, McGee told me she didn't take things very well. Don't worry, Gibbs. I'll take care of her."

Gibbs nodded. "I know you will. I want to be there when you question her."

The guard came back out. "She'll see you, Agent Balboa." He held the door open for the senior agent, but stepped in front of Gibbs when he tried to enter. "I'm sorry, Agent Gibbs. She specifically asked that I _not_ let you, or anyone from your team, in the room." Gibbs rolled his eyes and took a step back. "Sorry, sir."

Gibbs ignored him and walked slowly away. He sat in a chair facing Mandie's room, and settled in to wait for Balboa to come out.

It was nearly three hours later when Balboa exited Mandie's room. Nurses had come and gone a few times, with fresh water or drinks, even a box of tissues, but he never saw the other agent take a break in the questioning. When he saw the door opening, Gibbs stood and strode angrily over to Balboa. "You should have let her take a break, Balboa!"

Balboa wasn't intimidated by Gibbs like most everyone else, having worked with him for many years. "She didn't want one, Gibbs. Wanted to get the whole thing over and done." Grimacing, he looked at the door behind him, shut once again. "What she's been through? I don't blame her." He held up a hand when Gibbs would have said something. "You know I can't talk about what she told me, I don't care if she _is _part of the Team Gibbs family." He walked a few feet away from the door, motioning Gibbs to follow him. "But I will tell you this - she's not angry with any of you anymore. Promised her I wouldn't tell any of you, but….the sooner she sees the shrink, the better." He patted Gibbs on the shoulder and started walking away. "Sorry, man."

Gibbs just stood and watched him go, his mind already thinking on shrinks for Mandie.

_**NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS* ** *NCIS**_

_Next Day ~1 AM_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

The armed NCIS agent stationed outside Mandie's room thought nothing of it when a tired-looking maintenance man bumped into him as he passed. A few seconds later, when that same maintenance man had him in a headlock, he knew he'd been played. He struggled, but his air was being cut off. He felt the barrel of his own gun pushed into his temple.

"My war isn't with _you_, sir. It's that slut in there….thinking she can tease us all, wagging her pretty, little tail in the air at her boyfriends for all of us to see, then never giving us a sniff…we go fight for our country, a year, sometimes longer, at a time, and they still can't share it with us when we come home. Not a very nice way to treat a serviceman now, is it?" He turned the gun over, and hit the NCIS agent in the back of the head with the handle, knocking him unconscious. He tossed the man aside like a rag doll and opened the door slowly…

_** E!**_

_**A/N-**_**I KNOW, SO HORRIBLE OF ME! (THE REAL MANDIE IS GROWLING IN FRUSTRATION AT ME!) BUT I THINK YA'LL NEED THE EXCITEMENT OF THE WAIT! AS USUAL, THANKS TO THE ****REAL**** MANDIE BEHIND THE STORY, **_**MANDIELOULUVSEWE**_**, FOR HER HELP ON THIS CHAPTER - SHE GOT ME GOING WHEN I WAS STUMPED. I DARE YOU ALL TO GO READ HER STORIES! (**_**TOTALLY AWESOME TONY-CENTRICS! IF YOU LOVE TONY, READ HER STORIES!)**_

_**DISCLAIMER - **_**THE USUAL - RECEIVE OR GIVE NOTHING TO OR FROM ANYONE.**

_**SHAMELESS BEGGING - **_**PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! MUST GET AT LEAST 5 REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER IF ANYONE WANTS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS TO MANDIE! (**_**AND TRUST ME, THE **__**REAL**__** MANDIELOU IS PULLING HER HAIR OUT, DYING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO HERSELF, SO **__**PLEASE **__**HELP OUT A FELLOW FF AUTHOR AND REVIEW!) …..I'LL SHARE MY HOMEMADE TOLLHOUSE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES IF YOU REVIEW….**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 8**

_Mandie Sewell's Hospital Room_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Mandie could tell it was getting close to meds time - the pain was creeping back in, yet she was still fuzzy from the last dose. She lightly dozed, waking for a moment then fading back to sleep. Every time she woke, she automatically looked to the chair next to her bed to see who was sitting with her, only to remember she'd told them to stay away. She felt tears begin to build. At first, she'd been mad at them, for keeping something so important a secret from her - she was the lone survivor of a serial rapist/murderer, for God's sake! - but after talking to that other NCIS agent….what was his name…..in her mind, she was picturing Sylvester Stallone, running up those steps in that movie, "Rocky." She started humming the theme song out loud, then remembered she was forgetting what she'd been doing. Pain meds. So, at first, she'd been mad at her friends, but after talking to that agent who reminded her of Rocky, and having to tell him the most minute detail of everything…._everything….._she realized that her friends already knew all that stuff. It had all happened to other women. Nine other women, to be exact. They know what she'd been through - the cutting, the…_rape._ Now she was just embarrassed to be around them. They knew everything. They'd see her differently now. Instead of seeing _her_, they'll be seeing a rape victim. And Gibbs - well, he was like her dad away from home. His opinion meant the most to her. And even though that other NCIS agent had told her differently, she knew she'd disappointed him. She was just drifting off again when she heard the scuff of shoes outside her door. As she slipped back into a doze, she silently thanked the nurses for being so precise in their timing. She never heard the door start to open.

_**NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NICS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS**_

Shane Greene, AKA The Monster Marine - he disliked that name, by the way, he'd call himself The _Moral_ Marine - slid quietly into his latest project's hospital room. He stood just inside the closed door, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Didn't want any surprises popping out at him. Ahhhhh, there she was, his Sleeping Beauty. As he slowly made his was across the room, he saw all the white bandages. Well, she may have been sleeping, but she was no beauty anymore, he thought with an evil smile. That's what happens to whores who flaunt themselves. He just made them as ugly on the outside as they were on the inside. He paused to look at her for a moment, recalling when he'd chosen her. It had been at that club. She'd been following behind two of her girlfriends, leaving the bathroom. So intent on getting back to her 'boyfriends' she never even said so much as 'sorry' or 'excuse me' when he'd bumped into her. Bitch. He'd watched as that sailor boy had drunkenly glommed onto her and dragged her off to the dance floor. She'd been wagging that ass all night long in every guy's face, but when one tried to take her up on it, one little scream, and her 'boyfriends' came running like trained dogs to save her from what she'd been asking for. She was the one.

He fondly played with the few strands of hair that surrounded the right side - the 'pretty' side - of her face. She may have been his favorite, he thought. Did everything he told her to in hopes of being released. Then came the fury, where she fought him and tried to escape. He looked down at the bandages covering her thigh where he'd sliced her. He'd known he'd gotten muscle by the way the leg had collapsed under her. He gently ran his hand down along the bandage, wishing he could unwrap it and take a look at his handiwork. But, he'd come here for a reason, and he mustn't dally. The nurses would be making their rounds shortly, and he can't be discovered. He felt a flash of anger. She'd survived. No one was supposed to survive, that was the set plan. How the _hell_ had she lived? His nostrils flared in anger as he walked up next to her head. He stroked her unmarred cheek and bent over to whisper in her ear. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. I want to see those pretty eyes when I kill you." She stirred but didn't waken. "You were a very bad girl, not dying like that. And bad girls get what they deserve….." He licked her ear, nipping at the outer edge, then ran his tongue down her cheek. Thinking about the filet knife in his belt, he decided he'd do _this _side of her face, too. Punishment for not dying when she should have. He could feel her starting to come around, so his tongue went to her lips, flicking inside them, chuckling when she shivered away from him. To finish waking her up, Shane bit her lip. Not the playful nip of a lover, no. "There we are, my little whoring bitch. Wakey-wakey!"

Mandie startled awake, the dream waking her again. God, it was so real this time, she could feel his breath on her face. She gagged, just thinking about smelling that God-awful cologne. It was everywhere! And the pain…she could feel his teeth ripping at her lip! Her breathing sped up, her heart began to race. This wasn't like all the other dreams…. "There we are, my little whoring bitch. Wakey-wakey!" She realized at once that this wasn't a dream - _he _was really here, really touching her. Before she could scream, his hand was over her mouth.

"Ohhhh, no, no, no. No screaming. Remember what happens to bad girls when they scream!" He waved his knife in front of her eyes.

Mandie began to thrash in the bed, trying to escape his grip, still trying to scream. In her effort, she managed to roll off the bed. Her mouth was free! She began to scream, aware that because of her injuries it was a very feeble attempt. She saw him reaching for her, tried to roll under the bed, but he grabbed her by the ties of her johnnie and pulled her back. Looking up at him, she realized something she'd forgotten. He was wearing his marine uniform. How could that not have registered the first time he'd taken her? She was struggling as he forced her back down on the bed. "Why?" she gasped. "You're a… Marine…how could you….?"

Monster Marine smiled nastily. "It's _because _I'm a Marine that I _can_!" He grabbed her with fingers on either side of her mouth, his thumb digging into the sutured slice down her cheek. "You were supposed to die, little bitch. Why didn't you die?" Spittle flew from his mouth as he ranted at her. "But I'll make _damned_ sure you're dead _this _time!" He reached down with one hand and began undoing his belt and pants. "Right after a last ride….!"

_**NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS * NCIS**_

_Elevator_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

"I still do not know why we are here in the middle of the night," Ziva griped to Tony, for about the hundredth time.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Be_cause_, Zee-vah. This is the only time we can actually get into Mandie's room to check on her. While she's asleep."

"Oh, like she will not wake up in the middle of the night?"

"Ah-ha! She has, indeed, woken up while one of us was there. But thanks to the pain meds, we can easily convince her she's imagining it! Cake and pie, Zi, cake and pie." Tony smiled at his ingenious idea.

Ziva frowned. "What does dessert have to do anything?"

Another eye roll. "Not _that_ kind of cake and pie! 'Cake and Pie'!" Tony sighed when Ziva still didn't get it. "Learn your Americanisms, please. 'Cake and Pie' - 'piece of cake, easy as pie….'"

Ziva thought for a minute. "I get the cake part…..but from what I understand, pie is _not_ that easy to make. I know _I_ have had difficulty in making one."

The bell dinged, signaling their arrival to their floor. "Thank God," Tony muttered under his breath.

The first thing both agents noticed was the guard missing from in front of Mandie's room. "I am getting a bad feeling about this, Tony."

Tony was already on the phone to Gibbs. "Got a situation, boss. You might want to drive faster." He and Ziva quietly approached the room, guns out and down by their sides, on the off-chance that there wasn't anything wrong. Pausing outside the door, they heard a muffled scream, and a male voice. Bringing their guns into position, Tony kicked the door open and Ziva ran into the room, ready to fire, followed by Tony. "NCIS! Freeze!" Ziva and Tony were shocked by what they saw - a fully-uniformed Marine, sitting over Mandie, in position to rape her, if he hadn't already begun. The agents began to slowly separate, Ziva moving to the other side of the room, Tony moving closer toward the bed, both silently acknowledging that she was the more capable of taking the Monster Marine out, and Tony more able to handle Mandie's weight to carry her out of the room.

Mandie began to scream and writhe more earnestly, knowing help was there. She wanted out! But between the pain and her injuries, she couldn't do much, especially with 220 lbs. of muscle sitting atop her body.

"Let the girl go, Marine." As badly as he wanted to check on Mandie, he had to keep his head on the job. Taking down one large, fit Marine could be dangerous business.

Shane smiled cruelly. "Well, well, if it isn't the Dynamic Duo, ready to ride to the fair damsel's rescue." He sat back a bit so he could have a better look at both agents at the same time.

"Let her go, and maybe you will leave this room alive," growled Ziva, off to the Marine's right.

Tucking himself back in and zipping up, Shane laughed. "Sorry, but this lady and I have unfinished business. You understand."

Ziva snarled. "I understand that you are a self-righteous pig who deserves to be roasted on a spit with an apple in your mouth."

Mandie cried out in agony when the Marine pushed himself up - using her sutured leg to do it. The pain was incredible as she felt some staples pop.

With a nasty smile, Shane turned his head toward Ziva. "And who's going to spit-roast me…_you_?" He laughed. No measly woman would ever get the better of him, even with a gun in her hand.

Ziva was totally focused on the Marine, everything else faded away. It was just her - and her prey. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure, Marine."

"Well, you're certainly most welcome to try, sweetheart. Right after I finish with Princess Bitch."

Tony took advantage of the Marine's distraction and smoothly got several feet closer to the bed. "There's nothing to finish. It's over. You can leave this room on two feet or in a body bag, up to you."

Shane turned angrily to Tony. "No! It's _not_ over! It's not over 'til this whoring bitch is dead! If she had just _died_ like a good little girl the _first_ time, I wouldn't have to be here now!" He brought his thin, sharp knife to Mandie's unmarred cheek, gave it a small poke with the tip. A bead of blood ran down her face, mixing with tears. "Tell me, loverboy…..will you still want her when she's not beautiful anymore? Be honest, now…." Shane teased Mandie.

"Pretty obvious that no one ever taught you that it's what's _inside_ that counts. Let me guess, you failed kindergarten, didn't you? Had to have, otherwise you would have known that. It's not about what's on the outside, Marine. Beauty on the inside is what brings out the beauty on the outside." Tony smirked. "And, well, in your case, the opposite is true - ugly on the inside begets ugly on the outside."

Without him realizing it, both agents had moved within just a few feet of him, and he began to panic. "It's not supposed to happen like this! She's supposed to die! She _has_ to die!"

Tony reached out a hand. "Give me the knife, Marine. We can end this and all go home."

Shane smiled, a plan in mind. "You want the knife? _This_ knife?" He pretended to think about it. "Ok!" Instead of handing over the knife, he pulled the bitch up with his other hand, and threw her toward Tony, the knife slicing down over her shoulder, heading for her breast. At the same time, he flew in the opposite direction off the bed toward Ziva with a loud yell, knife poised to kill. He never even noticed that the small woman was smiling.

Seeing that Tony had caught Mandie and was carrying her out of the room, Ziva concentrated on the task at hand. As the Marine launched at her, she smoothly stepped out of the way, catching him by the wrist as momentum carried him right by her. She pulled him closer to her and bent the wrist at an awkward angle, causing her opponent to drop the knife. She was prepared for it when the Marine tried a roundhouse kick to her head - she quickly ducked and threw her own leg out, tangling it with his, causing him to trip. She had been afraid that after all her time with NCIS, she might have forgotten her Mosssad training, but apparently it was like riding a tricycle - you never forget how.

_**NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS**_

_Meanwhile…._

Tony sat on the floor, Mandie cradled in his arms, surrounded by security, nurses and doctors. They were all trying to take her from him, but that wasn't about to happen. He murmured softly in her ear, things like, she was ok now, it was over, just hang in there. Then he heard the voice he'd been waiting for. "Boss!"

Gibbs ran over and knelt next to Tony and Mandie, taking in the bleeding from the bandages and new cuts. "You're ok, honey, it's ok, we're gonna' take care of you, baby…." He had to kneel closer to hear what she was trying to say….

"S-sorry, I'm sorry…" Over and over, Mandie just kept saying she was sorry.

Kissing the top of her head, Gibbs stood. "Rule 6 - never say you're sorry," he ordered gently. "DiNozzo, hand her over to the doctors, then stay with her. Don't let her leave your sight."

"Got it, boss!" It felt good, having a plan, Tony thought.

Gibbs ran over to Mandie's room, hearing the sounds of a knock-down, drag-out fight going on inside. He pushed open the door and ran through, just in time to see Ziva break out of the Marine's chokehold. While she had a few scrapes and bruises, his girl was holding her own quite well.

Seeing Gibbs just inside the room, Ziva decided it was time to end this once and for all. She faked with a right, grabbed the Marine's wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. The Marine landed at Gibbs' feet, and when he would have gotten up, Gibbs put a foot between the man's shoulder blades to keep him down. In his finest Gunny voice, he said, "Stay down, Marine! Or I'll let her kick your ass some more!" He held out his handcuffs to Ziva. "Thought you might wanna' do the honors," he joked with a smile.

Ziva grinned, still breathing hard. "It would be a pleasure." She straddled the Marine's back and pulled his arms roughly behind him, being extra-careful to pull them tight, satisfied grin on her face. "Taken down by a woman," she said softly in his ear. "How debasing this must be for you."

Shane growled. "_No_ woman bests me! No one!" He started wriggling and fighting as Gibbs started to pick him up off the ground.

Gibbs was having a hard time keeping a grip on him. When he had the man about half-way up, he looked at Ziva. "Ziver?"

With a smile, Ziva planted a fast, hard fist in his stomach, jolting the air out of the pompous bastard. He gave Gibbs no more trouble when he picked him up.

"Should have warned ya' - never mess with a woman, son. You never know when she's one of Mossad's finest officers." Gibbs gave Ziva a wink and dragged the Monster Marine out of the room. By this time, Tony had called in the rest of the team, and McGee was waiting just outside the door. "Nobody warned him not to touch Ziva, did they?" he said, looking over the prisoner. "What can I do, boss? "

"Secure the scene until Balboa and his team get here. Then make sure Ziva sees a doctor. Or Ducky."

McGee gulped. "But, boss…..you know how she is about doctors….she'll hurt me!" Seeing Gibbs' raised eyebrow, he quickly changed his tune. "Getting Ziva to see Ducky. On it, boss."

Gibbs was dragging the hefty Marine toward the elevator when it opened and Tobias Fornell stepped out. Smiling, he handed the Monster Marine over to him. "Late to the party again, Tobias. Had to do your work for ya'."

Looking over the Marine, Tobias grimaced. "He tried to take on David, didn't he? Well, guess they don't call you Marines 'JarHead' for nuthin', huh?" He smiled.

"Just lock him up, would ya'?" He smiled and began to walk away.

"Hey Gibbs! - Hope your girl's ok."

Gibbs gave his friend a small smile. "She will be, Tobias. She will be."

_**NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS**_

_Mandie Sewell's New Hospital Room_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Gibbs could hear Mandie's screams from down the hall. He ran around the corner and saw DiNozzo arguing with a doctor and a security guard. "What the hell is going on?"

Tony whispered out of the side of his mouth to the security guard, "told ya' - ya mess with the bear cub, you have to face Papa Bear. Don't say I didn't warn ya'!" He turned to Gibbs. "Oh, hey boss. These two fine gentlemen are keeping me from doing my job. I know how you hate that." He turned to the doctor. "He hates that."

The doctor sighed. "We're just trying to do our jobs, agent…?"

"Gibbs. Why is my agent out here, when he's supposed to be _in there_ guarding the victim of a violent crime?" Mandie chose that moment to scream, pitiful as it was, calling Tony's name. Gibbs looked at Tony.

"Called Ducky, he should be here any…."

"Jethro, I got here as quickly as I could when Anthony called. I gather that is our Amanda practicing for the opera?"

"Yeah Duck, they kind of kicked DiNozzo out…"

"And you would like me to go in as a liaison of sorts - a familiar face, and also a doctor. Brilliant idea, Jethro." Ducky pushed his way past the security guard and the doctor. "Excuse me, but I _am _a doctor, one of _her_ doctors, in fact. I can assure you things will go more smoothly - and _quietly - _for all of us if you allow me to sit with her."

The doctor sighed again and rubbed his forehead, trying to rub away the headache that was building. He nodded to the security guard. "Let him in," he said tiredly. Before following Ducky into the room, he turned to Gibbs and Tony. If your doctor friend can do as he says, and calm her down, we should be done fairly quickly. She will need to go back up to surgery for that leg. She's lost a lot of blood, so we'll be setting that up, too. We'll let you know when we're done." The door shut behind him.

Gibbs walked to the waiting area, Tony trailing behind. "Sorry, boss. They were going to do an SA Kit, I was going to wait outside 'til they finished, but as soon as the doctor touched her, she started screaming, so I decided to stay. Mandie had a death grip on my hand, begging me….." the younger man sighed. "Begging me to not let them touch her, to make them stop…and I wanted to, boss. I wanted to tell them to leave her alone, to let her rest. But I knew they had a job to do…. All I asked was for them to let me stay with her, hold her hand or something. But security came in a dragged me out. Sorry, boss. _Ow_!" Tony rubbed the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"Apologizing for doing your job. SitRep." He listened as Tony told him everything that had happened from when he and Ziva arrived to the present.

"So, um, what's he look like?" Tony asked with childish glee.

Gibbs looked at Tony, confused. "Who?"

"You know, Monster Marine? What's he look like after dealing with Ninja Chick Ziva?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Let's just say he'll put a lot of thought into it before he so much as _talks _to another woman," he said with a small smile.

Tony looked thoughtful. "I wonder if they have that on video anywhere….. _Ow! _Sorry, boss."

Both Tony and Gibbs jumped up when the room door across the hall opened and Ducky came out. The older gentleman used a handkerchief to wipe his nose, then walked over to them. "Duck?"

Ducky reached out and hugged Tony, giving him a hearty slap on the back. "Thank God, Anthony, that you and Ziva appeared when you did. It could have worse, so much worse. Thank you, Anthony." He released the younger man with a sigh. "They're just about finished in there. You can both go in with her if you'd like."

Gibbs put a hand on Ducky's shoulder and gave a squeeze. "Thanks, Duck."

"Of course, Jethro. Anything for our Amanda." He straightened his bow tie and glasses. "Well then, I'm off to see Miss David. I hear she's giving Timothy a hard time about getting examined. I will see you later, Jethro, Anthony." He strode confidently down the hall.

Tony immediately headed across the hall, stopping when Gibbs called him. Called him 'Tony.' This always concerned Tony, Gibbs calling him by his first name. "Yeah, boss?" He flinched when Gibbs' hand reached for the back of his head, but got a surprise when the back of his head was patted instead of slapped.

"Good job, son. You and Ziver both. And I'm proud of you."

Tony was silent, waiting for the other shoe to drop….. 'good job'? ….he's 'proud'?…'Son'? When nothing happened, nothing fell on him, Gibbs didn't head slap him, and he didn't fall over dead, he spoke. Nervously. "Thanks?"

Gibbs smirked and threw an arm over Tony's shoulder. "C'mon, let's go see our girl."

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**AT LAST, MANDIE IS SAFE! FOR THE MOMENT…..MWAH-HA-HA-HA-HAAAAA! YEAH, I WASN'T CONVINCED BY THAT EVIL LAUGH, EITHER. CAN'T HELP MY GOODY-TWO-SHOES. PITY.**

_**BIG THANKS SECTION - **_**BIG THANKS AND SHOUT OUTS TO GaGa MIDNIGHT, MANDIELOULUVSEWE, AND TO SOME **_**NEW**_** (cough, cough) REVIEWERS, **_**MONKEEGURL1989, TEIRBEAR 12 , AND A GUEST**_**. THANKS FOR GETTING ME TO THE 5 REVIEWS I NEEDED TO SAVE POOR MANDIE! SHE APPRECIATES IT, I ASSURE YOU! LOL!**

_**DISCLAIMER - NOTHING IS MINE.**_

_**SHAMELESS BEGGING PORTION OF OUR PROGRAM - **_**PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR! ! THE **_**REAL**_** MANDIE, **_**MANDIELOULUVSEWE**_**, WANTS TO KNOW HOW HAPPY YOU ARE THAT SHE'S FINALLY BEEN RESCUED! AND I'D KINDA' LIKE TO KNOW, TOO….. PLEASE? BRIGHTEN MY WORLD…. PLEASSSSSEEEEE? THANK YOU!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 9**

_Later That Morning_

_Bethesda Naval Hospital_

Black platform boots thudded along the floor, accompanying a litany of 'OhmyGod's coming down the hallway. Abby had arrived. "I can't believe you, McGee! OhmyGodohmyGod! How could you not tell me about this? OhmyGod!"

McGee rolled his eyes as he tried to keep up with her. "I said I was sorry, Abby!"

Abby allowed herself to pause for a moment on her quest to see her friend. " '_Sorry_,' McGee? My best friend since kindergarten was attacked in her hospital room by the kidrapturer that tried to kill her once already, and _nobody_ called me to tell me until this morning! 'Sorry' doesn't change the fact that _you _should have called me!"

" 'Kidrapturer?'"

With a huff, Abby explained. "He kidnapped, raped and tortured ten women, McGee. He's a kidrapturer." She poked him in the chest with a finger. Hard. "And don't think that I've forgotten for one second that you should have called me when it happened, not after I'd had a decent night's sleep." She turned and continued down the hall, boots thudding in time with her 'OhmyGod's. McGee took a moment to rub the sore spot in the middle of his chest where Abby'd poked him. That hurt! The he speed-walked to catch up to her.

Abby was so preoccupied that she bumped right into Gibbs. "Oh! Sorry, Gibbs." She let him hug her, plant a kiss on her cheek, but before he could speak, she poked him in the chest with that deadly pointer finger. "You shouldn't have kept this from me, Gibbs! She's my bestest friend ever, and I wasn't here for her! You had no right to not call me about this!"

Gibbs gently pulled her finger away from his chest and softly kissed it. "I'm sorry, Abbs. Things got a little crazy here for a while, didn't want you to have to wait around while Mandie was in surgery, figured I'd let you get some rest. You been putting in a lot of time on the Monster Marine case, you needed the rest so you can be there one hundred percent for her."

McGee looked on in shock as Abby forgave Gibbs, even though he, himself had said pretty much the same exact things to her the whole way here, and she didn't forgive him. He said as much to her, with a pout.

Abby looked at Tim like he was nuts. "He's Gibbs, McGee." Gibbs smiled a little and led Abby to Mandie's room. "I'm nervous, Gibbs. What if she doesn't want to see me…?"

Gibbs stopped Abby's rapidly moving, nervous hands. "Whether she likes it or not, she needs her family, Abbs. We're staying. Ok? Can you do that?"

Taking a deep breath, Abby nodded. "I can. I will. I can do this, Gibbs. She's family, and we don't turn our backs on family." She accepted Gibbs' kiss on her cheek, and after taking one more deep breath, she entered Mandie's room.

The white curtain was closed around Mandie, and Abby crept in quietly in case her friend was sleeping. Moving the curtain aside as quietly as she could, she jumped when Mandie gave a little squawk. "Sorry!" She apologized gently. "I didn't realize you were awake."

Mandie could feel her eyes tear up. "Abby," she whimpered. She shook as her friend leaned in and hugged her as hard as she dared. "I'm sorry, Abby," she rasped several times.

"It's ok, Mandie, it's ok. We're all here for you, ok? Just let us take care of you…."

"So scared, Abby…."

Abby held Mandie's hand. "I know, hon, I know. So was I."

Mandie was glad to see her friend, but at the same time, she didn't want to see her. Abby knew everything that monster had done to her - she'd seen what he'd done to the other girls. It bothered Mandie that everyone knew the most intimate details. Would they be able to even look at her without thinking about it? How could they? All the bandages were a constant reminder. She missed her 'framily' - people who were such good friends you consider them family. 'Framily.' But for their sakes, and her own, she had to do this. "Abby….you….you should leave…."

"Not happening, Mandie. We're all here for you…."

"But I don't _want _you here! You can't be! I'm not…..it isn't….. I'm….." how do you tell your best friend/sister that you don't want her to have to look at you because you're not pretty anymore? "I mean, I want you to stay, but…could you…..stand on the other side of the curtain?"

"What? _Why? _Why would I do that? That's crazy!"

"Well then, maybe I'm crazy! I was attacked by a guy _you_ named the Monster Marine! Not once, but _twice!_ All the other women he did this to are _dead_, yet I lived through it _twice_! So hell yeah, I'm crazy! I think I've earned the right to be crazy! So either do like I ask and shut the curtain, or just get out!"

"Mandie…." Abby was stunned. Get behind the curtain? What the hell was that about?

Mandie turned her head and looked at the wall. "Please, Abby….I don't want to be alone, but…..please? Just…close the curtain?" When her friend didn't do anything, she sniffled. "If you can't do what I asked, just leave, Abby. This is hard enough without…..just leave, ok?"

Abby stood there for a minute, unsure what to do. She decided she needed to think, so with a huff she turned and walked out. She walked over to where Gibbs and McGee were sitting. "She kicked me out." When Gibbs would have said something, Abby kept going. " She actually wanted me to talk to her from behind the privacy curtain! I mean, that's just insane, right? Who talks through privacy curtains? Said if I couldn't do that for her, I should just leave. She doesn't want me to leave, but she doesn't want me to look at her! Am I wrong, Gibbs? I want to sit with my friend, not hide behind some curtain…Gibbs?" Abby and Gibbs watched as Gibbs confidently into Mandie's room. "She'll make _him_ stand behind the curtain, too." McGee just shrugged.

Mandie was lying on her back staring at the ceiling when Gibbs all but barged in. She should have known he'd be right behind Abby. "I don't want to talk, Gibbs," she pleaded.

"Good," the older man said, pulling a chair over next to the head of her bed and sitting. "Then just listen." He saw her eyes go to the ceiling again - an avoidance technique. " 'ey," he said gruffly, taking her hand.

"I didn't kick Abby out," Mandie insisted. "She left on her own…."

"Yeah, because you got some harebrained idea into your head that you need to hide from us." When she would have objected, Gibbs gently put a finger over her lips. "Listening, remember?" He stroked her cheek with that same finger, thinking how close he'd come to losing another daughter. "You have no reason to hide from us, from your family, Mandie. None."

"But…."

"No buts," Gibbs said, shaking his head. "You're still the same, beautiful girl you were before this happened."

Mandie dry-sobbed, trying not to cry and wet the bandages on her face. "No I'm _not_, Gibbs! I'm ugly now! All swollen, purply-green…and _this_!" She motioned to the line of white gauze covering up most of the left side of her face, with just her eye peeking out. "Ducky told me a plastic surgeon did the stitches, but it doesn't matter. Everything else may heal, but I'll always have a stupid scar. _On my face_!"

Gibbs squeezed Mandie's hand tighter. "None of that matters to your family, Mandie, you know that. We love you no matter what you look like. I mean, hey, we all love DiNozzo, right?" He smiled when she chuckled.

"Owwwww! Ohhhh, don't make me laugh, Gibbs. Hurts."

"The point is, honey, your family, your friends….we don't love you because of what you look like on the outside…."

Mandie rolled her eyes sarcastically. "I know, I know, 'it's what's on the _inside_ that counts.' What parents have been telling their kids for centuries." She scoffed. "That may be true for framily…. Friends that are like family," she clarified at Gibbs' raised eyebrow, "but what about everyone else? When people meet me, all they're going to see is _this_." She pointed angrily to her face. "What you look like on the inside doesn't matter when your outside scares everyone away."

"Anyone who'd let a little white line keep them from getting to know you isn't someone worth knowing, Mandie."

She continued on, like she hadn't heard him. "I mean, I won't even be able to _meet_ a guy like this, let alone ever get married or have kids! What guy is going to want to be seen with the Bride of Frankenstein? Should've just let me die like the others…."

Gibbs saw red. "'Ey! I don't _ever_ want to hear you talking like that again. There's a group of people out there that are very happy you're alive, me included. All they want is to take care of you, make sure you're ok."

Mandie looked at the ceiling again. While she was happy Gibbs was here, she was also embarrassed. "But….but you all know…"

"Know what, honey?"

She whimpered. "You _know_! You know what that….what…_he_ did to me! You all know _everything_! Every detail, everything he did…..you know it _all_! You've seen pictures, you know what he….how he…." Mandie sobbed. "Bad enough the doctors and nurses here - strangers - know…..but you all? You know even more….stuff I wouldn't….._personal_ stuff! And when you see me, all I can think is that you _know…._"

A light went on in Gibbs' head. "So…you think that when we're here with you….all we see are the things that monster did to you." He turned her head so that she had to look at him. Seeing one of his kids so sad was killing him. "You couldn't be further from the truth, Mandie. Do we know what happened to you? Yes. But you're _not_ a case to us, honey. All we see when we look at you is a sister, a daughter…who's been hurt like no one ever should be." He brushed the hair away from her forehead. "And honestly - knowing what that son of a bitch did to you? Only makes me want to nail his ass to the wall more than ever." Leaning in, Gibbs gently kissed Mandie's forehead. "So when Abby comes in, she's coming to see her best friend - her sister. All she's thinking about is getting you well and getting you out of here. The _last_ thing she's thinking of is whatever hocus pocus forensics she should be doing on you."

"But…..you don't understand! You _know_! And knowing that you all know…..it's embarrassing, Gibbs! You all know things about me now that….."

Gibbs placed a gentle finger against her lips again. "I told you. None of that matters to us, to your family. Now, Abby and McGee are waiting outside to see you. They need to see with their own eyes that you're ok."

"But…." Mandie sighed. He just didn't get it, and she was too tired to keep fighting it. "Ok."

Standing, Gibbs placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Good. I'm going to send them in. They'll keep you company for a while. Tony and Ziva will be up later. And I'll see you later, too." He waited until Mandie nodded before he turned to go. "Remember - they just want to take care of you."

Eyes down, Mandie nodded again. "I know," she muttered sadly. Why didn't anyone understand?

_**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCSI*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCSI*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**_

_Six Months Later_

_Office of the District Attorney_

_Washington, D.C._

"Miss Sewell, do you need a break?"

Mandie fidgeted in her seat. "No. I'm sorry, Mr. Lane." She shredded the tissue in her hand. "It's just….h-h-hard. Thinking about all…._this_ again."

The tall, good-looking older man sitting across the table from her - Sam Lane, District Attorney - took off his glasses. "How about a drink? Coffee? Water?"

Shaking her head, Mandie sniffled, wiped her nose with the shreds of tissue. "If it's all the same, I'd rather just get this over with."

"We've been at this for a couple of hours now. Are you sure we can't get you anything?"

With a sigh, she started to tuck her long hair behind her ear, but remembered her scar at the last minute. "Um….maybe a diet soda?"

Ann Morse, Lane's ADA, walked out to retrieve the soda. "Just remember, keep your answers as brief as possible," Sam said. "If I think the jury needs to hear more, I'll ask you to explain, or tell us about it. Even then, just stick to the facts. We'll save the emotional stuff for the last few questions. Don't be afraid to pour it on then, cry, if you need to. We want the jury to see how it's affected you and your life."

Mandie just nodded, and quietly thanked Ms. Morse when she placed a dies soda in front of her. "H-how long," she cleared her throat before starting again. "How long do you think it will take?"

Lane and Morse shared a look. "It could be a while, Mandie," Ms. Morse stated. "It could last anywhere from an hour to two or three….it could even last several hours. It all depends on the evidence, the opposing lawyers…."

Mandie just nodded and took a sip of the cool drink. Hopefully the sugar and caffeine would help the headache that was building.

The DA folded his hands on the table and relaxed his shoulders. This was going to be the hardest part. The last time they'd tried this, he'd ended up having to practically forcibly remove Agent Gibbs. "Now, I know this isn't your favorite part of the rehearsal, but we need to get you prepared for the cross-examination."

She was shaking so much, she almost tipped over her soda. "I know." She took a deep breath. "I'll do my best, Mr. Lane."

_**NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS**_

Tony sat outside the dark wooden doors of the DA's office, waiting for Mandie's testimony rehearsal to finish. He'd played several games on his phone, but had gotten bored. He worried how Mandie was doing. The last time he'd peeked in the window at them, he'd noticed she was getting a headache. She'd also need to stand up and walk a bit or her leg - specifically her quads - would tighten up and she'd have even more trouble walking. The team was pretty upset with the DA - nice as he was to Mandie - for telling her to forego any pain killers during both the rehearsal and the trial. The man didn't want the opposing council to be able to try and get Mandie's testimony thrown out, saying she was on narcotics (legal though they may be), how can they believe anything she says. Mandie hated taking the pain meds, hated being dependent on them, but there were times she genuinely needed them, and she should be able to have them.

Sighing in boredom, he stood and paced the hall. His phone rang when he was at the far end of the corridor. "Hey, boss…..no, she's still in with Lane. Ok, I guess, but she's getting a headache. I know. Do you think I should go in and make them take a break?" He had been pacing that end of the hall, talking to Gibbs for several minutes, when he heard a heavy, wooden door slam. "Hang on a second, boss. I've got a bad feeling about that door slam…." Tony looked down the hall and saw Mandie awkwardly running toward the elevator. "Call ya' back, boss - Mandie's making a break for it!" He slammed his phone shut as he ran down the hall after the runaway witness. "Mandie!"

When the elevator was taking too long, Mandie turned frantically, looking through her tears for the nearest staircase. Spotting it a few doors away, she limped as quickly as possible and burst through the door. She got down only one level of stairs before her bad leg gave out and she started to fall. She let out a frightened scream as her leg collapsed and she felt herself about to pitch headfirst down the next flight of stairs.

Tony had never been so scared as when he heard that panicked scream. Rounding this level of stairs, he slid to a stop when he saw what had happened. Mandie was about half-way down the stairs, backward, head facing the bottom. Her bad leg was buckled underneath her, her good leg bracing her on the next step. Both hands were wrapped around the railing, keeping her from sliding any further. He couldn't miss the terror in her eyes. "Mandie!" Without thought, Tony jumped down the few stairs so he was on the step right beneath her. "It's ok, Mand, ok. I gotcha.'" He put one arm around her waist and the other slowly and gently began to untangle her bad leg. He stopped for a second at her squeal of pain as he straightened the limb, then continued. Once that leg was stable, he moved the bracing leg to a more comfortable position. "Ok, you're ok, I gotcha'. Let go of the railing…."

Mandie squealed in fright. "I _can't_! I'll fall!" She was hyperventilating, unable to catch her breath.

Keeping his voice calm and steady, Tony wrapped both arms tightly around Mandie's waist. "You won't fall, honey, I promise. I've got ya.'" He gave her a small squeeze. "See? I'm right here, honey, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. But you have to listen to me," he slid a knee up under her back to help support her while he used one hand to pry her fingers off the railing. "And let go of the railing." Fear was a powerful motivator, and Mandie had that railing in a death grip. "C'mon, baby, let it go. You know Big Brother Tony won't let you fall."

"T-Tony?" In her fear, it hadn't even registered that the person helping her was someone she knew, someone she trusted. "Tony? I'm gonna' fall!"

He pressed a small kiss to her temple. "No you're not, sweetheart. I'm not going to let you, ok? I've got you, you can't fall. You know I won't let you fall. Gibbs would give me more than a head slap if I let that happen. Besides, do you know how many women would love to be in your position right now, falling into the arms of Anthony DiNozzo, Jr.? A _lot_, let me tell ya'!"

She tried to laugh, but it came out like a maniacal cackle. "I'm sorry, Tony, I'm sorry!"

Tony sighed to himself. If there was one thing he hoped this trial would accomplish, it was getting Mandie to stop taking the blame for everything. Someone so sweet shouldn't be thinking everything and the weather was her fault. "Sssshhhhhhhhh, c'mon now. No being sorry about anything, ok? Let's get you up, and then we'll talk, ok? Ok?" He waited for her nod. "Ok. I'm right behind you, I've got you, and I won't let you fall. You trust me, right?"

Mandie began to cry. Tony was one of only three men that she trusted implicitly, the other two being McGee and Gibbs. She nodded. "I'm sorry! Sorry, Tony!"

"Sssshhhhhhh, it's ok, it's ok." He took a minute to just hold her, pressing another kiss to her hair. "I know, honey, I know." Feeling her body relax a bit, he tried again. "You ready to let go?"

"Y-you won't let me f-fall?"

"Never, baby. I'll always catch you," he murmured in her ear. Feeling her tense, he braced himself, and caught Mandie in an awkward, backward hug. She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and crying. He held her to him, one hand on her back, the other on the back of her head, giving her a minute to get the adrenaline crash out. When it felt and sounded like she was starting to calm down, Tony prepared himself to stand, explaining to Mandie what he was going to do, so there'd be no shocks. "Ok, Mand, I'm going to stand up…..sssssshhhhh, I've got you, you won't fall. I'm going to get up and walk down to the landing, ok? And then we'll sit and I can take a look at your leg, ok?" He waited for her nod, feeble one though it was. "Ok. It's about five steps, and then we're down, alright?" He stood slowly. It was difficult maneuvering, when he was standing on a step and had no free hand to get his balance. Once he was up, he stood still for a few seconds to make sure he was steady. He could feel that Mandie was so paralyzed with fear, she was holding her breath. "Breathe, Mandie. Come on, nice deep breath for me…..good girl." He turned himself sideways - he didn't dare try and turn all the way around - and made his way slowly down the remaining stairs. Once at the bottom, he sat Mandie on the last step and knelt in front of her. "Let's take a look at this leg, huh?" He made sure, first, that nothing was broken, then concentrated on the quads. "All in here, right?" He winced when Mandie hissed in pain and tried to pull her leg away. "Ok, ok, your quads are tight. That's ok, we know how to fix that, right, Manda-Panda?"

Mandie nodded pathetically, wiping her nose on her sleeve. "I'm sorry, Tony, that was stupid…."

"Sssshhhhh, we'll talk about that later, after we straighten out this muscle, ok?" Tony started out with a gentle massage to the front of her thigh, gradually increasing the pressure as Mandie could take it. He could tell it was hurting her, but knew when it was said and done that she'd feel better and be able to stand on it more easily. And here no one thought he'd ever use his Phys. Ed degree. It was about fifteen minutes of manual work before he felt both the muscle _and_ Mandie relax. "You good?"

Mandie nodded and sniffled. "Uh huh. Thanks, Tone."

Tony stood and plopped down onto the stair next to her, pulling her into his side. "You're welcome. Want to tell me what this whole escape was about?"

She was silent for a minute or so, thinking, wondering what his reaction would be. "I….I don't think I can do it," she said in a quiet voice.

"Do what, babe?"

"Testify. I don't think I can do it." A tear slid down her cheek. "It's too…..they want too much, want me to talk about….what _he_ did to me. And I…." Mandie buried her head in Tony's shoulder. "I can't, Tony! It hurts!"

He let her cry. They'd known going in that this would be difficult for Mandie. "I know it does, Mandie-Mine. I know."

"I didn't think it would be this hard! Dr. Cranston says I'm getting stronger, and I thought, thought maybe, if I testified, if I helped get him sent away, it would help. But the questions…..the defense will ask all kinds of personal stuff, and I don't think….I don't think I can do it, Tony!"

Tony just held her. "That's ok, Mandie-Mine. That's ok. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to, we all understand."

"But I _have _to! If I don't, he….he might go free! And…."

"No, you _don't_ have to testify. Not if you don't want to. We know it's hard, going over what happened again and again. No one will blame you for not doing it."

"But…."

Tony pulled away so he could see her face. "No buts. Whatever you decide, Mandie…..whatever you want to do, I'm right behind you one hundred percent. No matter what. Whether or not you testify, I'll support you all the way. So will the rest of the team. It doesn't mean you're weak, it doesn't mean the other side wins…..you have to do what's right for _you_. The DA has plenty of evidence against Greene, your testimony was just icing on the cake."

Mandie absorbed all Tony had said. "You….it doesn't…..make me a bad person, not being able to do it?"

Tony chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Baby, you couldn't be a bad person if you tried! McGoodyTwoShoes is more likely to be a bad person _way_ before you are!" He gave her a small squeeze. "No one is going to think the worst about you, I promise. They'll have to deal with Papa Gibbs if they do. Not to mention Abby boiling them from the inside out and leaving no evidence." He felt, rather than heard Mandie giggle. "Personally, I think Ziva scares me more than the both of them put together." He gave a dramatic shiver.

"You won't….h-hate me…..if I don't…do it?"

He wiped a tear from under her eye and gave her a small smile. "No one could ever hate you for anything, Mandie. There's nothing you could do - or _not _do - that would make me hate you. Whatever you want to do, I'll stand beside you the whole way. That's what family does."

Mandie searched his eyes, seeing the truth in them. She sighed and put her head back on his shoulder. "Thanks, big brother. I love you."

Tony smiled and hugged her. "Right back at ya', squirt." He'd forgotten that she may be little, but she packed a punch, as he rubbed his stomach where she'd driven her fist.

_**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**NCIS*NCIS**_

_Three Months Later_

_Room 221, Federal Court House_

_Washington, D.C._

The door behind the judge's chair opened to the tune of the court bailiff's "All Rise!" A gruff-looking (but very nice, it turned out) older man in a black judge's robe strode to his seat behind the opulent podium. "You may be seated." He rearranged some papers in front of him. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it's my understanding that you've reached a verdict in this case?"

"Yes, Your Honor."

"Very well." He cleared his throat. "Would the defendant please rise…..ladies and gentlemen of the jury, on the first count of murder in the first degree, how do you find the defendant?"

"Guilty, Your Honor."

Mandie sat listening to every charge nervously. Abby had a death grip on one hand, Tony on the other, and Gibbs was behind her with his hands on her shoulders. McGee, Ziva, even Director Vance, sat around her, hoping to make her feel safe.

Nine Murder One charges, nine Guilty findings. "On the charge of kidnapping in the first degree, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant guilty, Your Honor." The guilty verdicts continued through all the charges for what was done to Mandie. "And on the final count, Attempted Murder in the First Degree, what say you?"

The jury forewoman, a beautiful, impeccably dressed black woman looked over to Mandie, as did the rest of the jury. "We find the defendant Guilty."

The courtroom became a mass of hoots and hollers as the NCIS team congratulated each other and hugged Mandie. It took several bangs of the judge's gavel to get them to sit down and shut up. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get this taken care of before lunchtime. I've got a two PM tee-time with Judge Randall that I want to make." He turned to the defendant, the sorriest excuse for a person he'd ever seen, Shane Greene. The Monster Marine. "Mr. Greene, a jury of your peers has found you guilty of all charges against you. I must say that it gives me great joy knowing that an unfeeling, uncaring bastard like yourself is going to be behind bars for a long, long time. Your crimes were heinous and cruel, meant to inflict pain and humiliation for your own gratification. This court will take its' own gratification in your sentencing, which will be one week from today. To the families of the victims, this court promises to mete out a sentence befitting the crimes committed against your loved ones, and you have the condolences of this court and the Justice Department. Miss Sewell…." He looked directly at Mandie. "I applaud your strength in appearing on the stand and telling your account of the crimes committed against you. I know it was extremely difficult for you, just as it was difficult for me, and I'm sure everyone else in this courtroom, to hear. You're a very brave woman, and I hope, after today's verdict, you can begin to put your life back together." Shuffling the papers on his desk some more, he continued, "and if anyone so chooses, the court will now hear victim impact statements."

Several parents of the Monster Marine's victims stood and praised the system for giving their daughters justice. It was surprising to Mandie to see that it was the fathers that were unable to finish speaking, and the mothers were the stronger of the two parents.

"Miss Sewell?" The judge asked if she wanted to give her victim statement. She wanted to, but her body wouldn't let her stand, and she found herself unable to speak. Tony leaned close and whispered in her ear, "You don't have to, baby, it's ok." She was saved having to make a decision when Abby jumped up.

"May I speak, Your Honor? I'm Miss Sewell's…_Mandie's_ best friend. Well, more like her sister, really. We grew up together, and have been best friends forever, so we're really more like framily…."

The judge was confused. " 'Framily?'"

Abby nodded. "Yeah, framily - friend and family. Put 'em together, you get framily. Anyway, Mandie was always full of life, the first to try anything, the one you go to with a problem. She loves all kinds of music, loves to dance, loves to laugh…..well, she _used _to love those things. Until _you_ happened, Shane Greene. Mandie was a bouncy, happy woman. Now she's afraid to be alone, especially at night. We have to practically drag her out of the house because she doesn't want anyone staring at her scars. She doesn't dance anymore, or have fun. She's still my framily, and I still love her, and always will. But I miss the way she used to be. And it makes me sad, seeing her so sad. I'm normally a very peace-loving person, and I'm not usually in favor of the death penalty. But I hope with every breath in me that they hook you up to Ol' Sparky and send thousands of volts through you 'til you're dead. And if that isn't enough to do the job, well, I'm a forensic scientist, and I know thousands of ways to…" She was cut off by Ziva and McGee, who covered her mouth and pushed her back into her seat. "Sorry, Your Honor, sir," McGee stuttered.

The judge just shook his head. "If there's no one else to speak?….Very well. This court is adjourned until sentencing, which will be one week from today. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the courts of the District of Columbia thank you for your service. You are hereby released from duty. Court officers, please escort the defendant out."

As the officers pulled Shane Greene out of his seat, he struggled and turned to find Mandie in the audience. "You bitch! I'll kill you! I'll get out, and I promise you, I'll kill you! You're gonna die, bitch! You're gonna die!" The officers finally got him out of the room.

Mandie felt Gibbs' arms wrap around her from behind. "Pay no attention to him, Mandie. He's going to spend the rest of his life in jail. He'll never hurt you again."

A lone tear tracked down her cheek, and she nodded. "I know."

The team walked as a mob outside the courthouse, Mandie in the middle of it. They walked down the stairs and stopped by a long, black limousine.

Abby hugged Mandie. "Are you _sure_ we can't change your mind?" Her voice cracked as she tried to hold in her tears. Mandie hugged her best friend back tightly.

"I'm sorry, Abby. But I've got to go. I just can't….there's too many memories for me here. Bad memories. It's just too much."

"I know," Abby pouted. "Doesn't mean I have to like it." She let Mandie go so she could say good-bye to the rest of the team - her family.

Mandie turned and was enveloped in a hug from McGee. "Remember - we only as far away as a phone call, ok?" She nodded against his shoulder. "And I still expect to see you online in the game." McGee kissed her cheek, and she kissed his back.

"I'll make sure my magic potions are up to date, and my sword sharpened." Next in the line was Ziva. She hugged her surrogate sister. "I'll never be able to thank you enough for saving me the way you did in the hospital."

Ziva sniffled. "This is what family is all about, is it not? Taking care of each other? I would do it again in a heartbeat to save my sister."

Mandie turned to Tony, unable to hold back the tears, falling into his embrace. "Oh Scarecrow, I think I'll miss you most of all." Tony hugged her tight, ran his hands up and down her back. He couldn't believe she was really leaving.

"Now I know I've got heart, cuz it's breaking," he said, also quoting the Wizard of Oz. Setting her away from him, Tony kissed her forehead. "Here's lookin' at you, kid." He knew Casablanca was one of her favorite movies, so he just had to send her off with his Bogie impression. He wiped a tear from her cheek and let her go.

Wiping her eyes, she walked to Gibbs, who just opened his arms and enfolded her in them. He whispered softly in her ear, and she nodded. He held her head in his hands and pressed a soft, fatherly kiss to her forehead, then let her go. The only one left to say good-bye to was Abby.

The two women, sisters, held each other tight. "This isn't good-bye, Mandie-Lou. It's see you soon, ok?"

Mandie smiled through her tears. "Don't call me that! See you soon, it is." She looked at the limo as the chauffer stepped out and came back to open the door.

Abby wiped her eyes and sniffled loudly. "I wish you'd have let us take you to the airport." She walked over to the limo with Mandie.

Mandie chuckled. "We both know you'd probably drive me anywhere _but_ the airport if I let you take me!" The two women laughed as only the best of friends can do. She stepped off the curb and stood in the open door of the limo, looking at the group of people that had been her family for so long. Too afraid to speak for fear of bursting into great sobs, she simply raised a hand in farewell and slid into the car, never looking back. The chauffer shut the door behind her and with a tip of his hat to the group walked around to the driver's door and got in. Seconds later, the limousine pulled away from the curb, leaving Abby, with Gibbs' arm across one shoulder and McGee's around the other, crying and waving 'til the car was out of sight.

_**NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**********NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**WOW, THIS WAS A LONG ONE, EH? YOU CAN BLAME THE **_**REAL**_** MANDIE (MANDIELOULUVSEWE - GO READ HER STORIES! ESPECIALLY HER NEWIE, 'RULE 18'! LOVE IT!) FOR THAT. SHE WANTED THIS PART OVER WITH ASAP! AND SINCE IT **_**IS**_** ABOUT AND FOR HER, I WAS COMPELLED TO DO AS SHE WISHED.**

_**A/N 2 - **_**THIS IS PURELY A WORK OF FICTION. MY KNOWLEDGE OF TRIALS AND COURTROOM PROCEEDINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM YEARS OF **_**LAW & ORDER**_**. IF I EVER NEED TO GO TO COURT FOR ANYTHING, I WANT JACK McCOY TO REPRESENT ME - HE ROCKS!**

_**DISCLAIMER**__** - I OWN NO PART OF NCIS, EXCEPT THE DVDs. CBS AND D. BELLISARIO OWN NO PART OF THIS FANFIC (A FACT I'M SURE THEY'RE QUITE HAPPY ABOUT).**_

_**SHAMELESS BEGGING - PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW ALL MY HARD THINKING WASN'T IN VAIN! AND LET THE REAL MANDIE KNOW YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! (WELL, I'D LIKE TO KNOW THAT, TOO, OF COURSE). PLEASE? MAKE MY SUMMER - REVIEW! ~~~MANY, MANY THANKS!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 10**

_Three Years Later_

_MCRT Bullpen_

_NCIS, Washington, DC_

It was a quiet morning at NCIS. Team Gibbs had just closed a big case - PO2nd class killed by wife's lover ("Told you it's always the wife," bragged Tony). The three junior agents were finishing up their reports while their boss, Gibbs, was probably out getting a coffee.

Tony was so into his report that he didn't notice someone standing at his desk until they cleared their throat. He glanced up and was slightly startled to see not only FBI Agent Tobias Fornell, but his associate, Agent Ron Sacks, also. "Hey, Fornell. And Agent Slacks," he greeted the other man sarcastically. "How nice to see you again. To what do we lowly NCIS peons owe this visit?"

Fornell put a hand up to stop Sacks from responding to DiNozzo's taunt. "Where's bossman?"

Tony deliberately misunderstood him. "The Boss? Well, probably on tour with his E Street Band. You know, it's just not the same without Clarence Clemmons on the sax. Yeah," Tony leaned back in his chair, fingers intertwined behind his head. "Thunder Road, Cover Me, Because the Night, Born To Run….." he said wistfully. "They just don't make 'em like that anymore."

"He means _your_ boss, DiNozzo, not Bruce Springsteen," growled Sacks.

"Ohhhhhhhh, _him_! Well, I've never heard him called that before, but I guess everyone's got a name for the Man Upstairs."

Ziva looked puzzled. "Since when do you call Director Vance 'boss,' Tony?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Not _that_ 'man upstairs,' Ziva, _The_ Man Upstairs….you know, The Big Guy, the Grand Poobah, the Head Honcho….."

"I have never heard SecNav called any of those things….."

Tim butted in, "He means God, Ziva." Ziva finally understood.

"Well, why did he not just _say_ that?" She turned to Fornell. "And why would you be looking for _Him_ here?"

"Because I work here, Ziver," said Gibbs, sailing through the bullpen with a fresh cup of coffee. "What do you need now, Tobias?"

Fornell and Sacks shared a look before Fornell walked over to Gibbs' desk. "We've got a big problem, Gibbs, involves one of your kids…."

Gibbs sighed and dropped into his chair. "Let me guess. DiNozzo."

"No, not one of your agents…..Shane Greene escaped from Maximum Security a couple of hours ago. There's a tri-state BOLO out…."

"Shane Greene _escaped_?" Abby screeched, coming in behind Gibbs. "How could you let the Monster Marine escape?"

The rest of the team jumped out of their chairs. "What do you mean, he escaped?" Ziva asked. "How does one escape Maximum Security?"

"Well, he obviously had help," said Agent Sacks.

Tony gave his nemesis a snide look. "_Obviously_."

Abby was in a panic - her best friend was in danger! "Gi-iii-iiii-iibbs! We've got to do something! We gotta' get Mandie into protective custody, or send her undercover, or into hiding or something!"

"We'll save some money there - I'm sure Ms. Sewell is already in hiding, with all those scars…."

No one even saw Tony move. One minute he was standing by his desk, the next, he had Agent Sacks up against the wall behind his desk, arm across his throat. "_What_ did you just say? You enjoy laughing at a victim's pain, _Slacks_? Do you even _know_ what she went through with that bastard? The scars are just the tip of the iceberg - she was raped, beaten, _branded_, and left for dead, and when that didn't happen, he came back to finish the job! She's been through hell, and doesn't deserve to be the butt of your stupid jokes!"

Looking around the bullpen for assistance, Agent Sacks saw Ziva displaying several knives of different sizes and sharpness in her hands. "Would you like to borrow one of my knives, Tony?" She asked casually.

"No thanks, Zi," Tony growled, without turning away from Sacks. "They aren't dull or rusty enough."

Searching out Agent McGee, Sacks knew if anyone would help him out, it would be the always fair-minded younger man. He was standing at his desk, typing on his computer. "No, Tony, no" McGee said, unenthusiastically, not looking up from the computer screen. "Let him go."

Gibbs rolled his eyes. Guess it was up to him to be the adult around here. "Much as it kills me to say this, let him go, Tony."

"Oh, I don't know, Gibbs," grumbled Fornell. "Let's let Ms. Sciuto handle him. There won't be any evidence to convict anyone when she's done." He gave his agent an "I'll deal with you later" look.

Up above them, at the second floor railing, stood Director Vance, who'd witnessed the entire scene. He calmly walked down the stairs and into the fray. "While I would enjoy the ringside seat to this bout, Agent DiNozzo, you'd best let him go," he said stoically. "The red blood would clash with these orange walls."

"Oh, that's ok, Director! I have this awesome cleaner I made up, gets bloodstains out of anything!" Abby quipped.

Still giving Sacks The Glare, Tony roughly pushed Sacks away. "It would be worth it," he muttered. No one talked about his family like that, especially about one of his little sisters.

When everyone turned and looked toward Fornell again, the FBI Agent began the news all over again. "As I was saying, Shane Greene, your _Monster Marine_, escaped from his cellblock a few hours ago. No one is sure just how long he's been missing - he was there at ten pm lights out, and that was the last anyone saw of him. We've got a tri-state BOLO out on him, but so far, no tips, no leads." He scanned the bullpen, noting the concern on everyone's faces. "I know you all took a personal interest in this case, that Miss Sewell is part of your little family. I wanted to give you the heads-up first before you heard it anywhere else. I know you all studied Greene for a while, before it got too close to home, thought maybe you could give us some ideas what his plans might be."

" 'What's his _plan_?'" Abby yelled. "His _plan_ is to go after Mandie, _that's_ what his _plan_ is!"

Gibbs put a hand on Abby's shoulder. "Calm down, Abbs."

She turned to him in shock. " 'Calm down?' You want me to calm down when a serial kidrapturer is on the loose and hunting my best friend? Are you crazy, Gibbs?" He gently pushed her down into his chair.

"Tony -"

"Co -ordinate with local LEOs on the BOLO, alert LEOs in Louisiana on the BOLO, get eyes on Mandie," the SFA said, already dialing his desk phone.

"Ziva -"

"Contact known associates and friends of Greene, see if anyone knows his location."

"McGee -"

McGee was already frantically typing on his computer. "Checking all traffic and building cams within a one mile area surrounding the prison for suspicious activity, beginning at 2200 hours last night. On it, boss."

About to hunt down Agent Balboa to get the case files on the Monster Marine, Gibbs was stopped by a tiny voice. "What about me, Gibbs? What can _I_ do?" Abby's wide eyes were swimming in unshed tears. "I mean, this is usually the part where you tell me to get down to my lab and get you some results, but there's no evidence for my babies - or me - to get results from. So what do I do? I want to help. I _need_ to be doing something, Gibbs."

"She can help me, boss," Tony called across the room. "I'm going to need help when it comes to the P.D.'s down in Louisiana, which neighborhood is Mandie's and all that." He wasn't sure about the look on Gibbs' face. "Unless you need her for something."

Gibbs looked from Abby to Tony, then back again. He knew his SFA didn't really need the help, he just hoped Abby didn't figure it out. "Yeah, sure. If you want to, Abbs." She nodded and stood, walking into Gibbs' arms for a reassuring hug first. "He won't get to her again, Abby. I promise." Abby nodded sadly against his chest.

Pulling away from Gibbs, Abby wiped her eyes and cheeks. "I know. I just…..she was finally starting to feel safe. I'm worried this will send her back into her shell again." She closed her eyes when Gibbs kissed her on the forehead.

"We won't let that happen, Abbs."

She nodded and walked dejectedly over to Tony's desk, where the SFA hugged her to his side before getting back to work. "And it's 'parishes,' not neighborhoods, Tony."

Gibbs watched his "kids" get right to work, sharing a look with his SFA, thanking him with his eyes. Tony gave a slight nod in return, then went back to talking with Abby. With a beckoning finger to Fornell, Gibbs started up the stairs to Vance's office. Falling into step with the other lead agent, Fornell looked at Sacks. "You-sit. And for Pete's sake, keep your mouth shut." Sacks did as he was told, sending a glare at Tony when the other man snickered quietly.

_**Director Vance's Office**_

Gibbs stormed into Vance's office, followed closely by Fornell. Where Gibbs burst in, door slamming into the wall, Fornell softly closed the door behind them.

"I want this, Leon."

Vance watched the bane of his existence with a small smile. For once, he managed to be a step ahead of the man. "I thought you'd say that, so your team is off rotation for the next two weeks. If you need more time, just let me know."

"Abby…."

"I've already alerted the forensic tech pool that Ms. Sciuto will be down to hand-pick her substitute. Anything else, Agent Gibbs?" Vance sat back in his chair, hands folded across his stomach, with a smug smile.

Gibbs chuckled as he turned and left the office, trailed by Fornell. The two senior agents stopped at the railing and looked down on the bullpen. "You're getting predictable, Gibbs."

Gibbs brushed it off. "Nah. It's family. Leon understands family." They watched the team work like a well-oiled machine for a minute.

"You've got good kids, Gibbs. You're a lucky man." They watched Tony teasing Abby, making her smile for the first time this morning, watched her laugh-then punch him in the arm. Ziva and McGee smiled and teased, all good-natured play.

"Yeah," Gibbs said with a smile. "I am."

_**NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS**_

_Same Day_

_La Place, Louisiana_

Mandie walked slowly through the city park, watching the kids play. A soft breeze pulled at her long, honey-colored hair. A mother pulled her child in the other direction suddenly, and Mandie realized that the wind had blown the long strands away from the left side of her face, exposing her fading, jagged scar that ran from her forehead all the way down across her left cheek. With a sad sigh, Mandie brushed the hair back down and held the ends so it wouldn't blow away again. It had been three years - when would people stop running away from her when they saw her scars?

It had only been the past year or so that she had gotten the strength - the guts - to venture someplace other than home and work. She missed being outside, missed the fresh air. So she made it a point every day now to spend at least a little time in the outdoors. Today, she was spending her lunch break in the park near work. She sat on a bench, pulling out her sandwich and a romance novel. She snorted softly to herself - she didn't know why she read these things when they only made her jealous of the characters' Happily Ever After, knowing she'd never have her own. 'Stop it, Mandie-Louise,' she scolded herself. 'If you _think_ you won't, then you won't. Get a grip, girl.' With a sigh, she started eating and reading, getting lost in her book.

A thunk on the bench next to her startled her, and she gasped. Looking down she saw a red Frisbee next to her. She looked around for its' owner and saw a well-built, handsome jock-type guy jogging toward her, yelling over his shoulder to his friend. "Dude, you almost hit her in the head, idiot!" He came up to the bench where Mandie was sitting.

"Uh, lose something?" she asked quietly, holding the Frisbee out to him with a small smile.

The jock grinned. "Yeah, sorry. Hey, it didn't hit you or anything, did it? My idiot friend over there has poor directional skills."

She smiled a little brighter. "No, no, I'm ok. It missed."

"Good. I'm Rick, by the way."

Mandie ducked her head shyly. She had never dated much, and certainly hadn't since….well, she hadn't in three years. She wasn't used to guys flirting with her. "I'm, uh, I'm Mandie." Her belly got all tingly when he took a few steps closer. Would he sit with her? Out of nervous habit, she tucked her long hair behind her ear, just as Rick's friend called to him. The smile on his face lost it's sincerity and became uncomfortable.

"Uh, yeah. Uh, I…I gotta go…..idiot friend is calling. Nice to meet you, Mandie…." He turned and jogged back to his friend, and the two walked off toward the other side of the park. Belatedly, Mandie realized what she had done - tucked the hair covering her scarred cheek behind her ear. Rick had seen the scar and taken off running. With a tired sigh, Mandie picked up the remains of her lunch and made for the nearest trashcan. Taking the romance novel out from under her arm, she looked at the couple in a clinch on the cover - she with her head tilted back, hair free and flowing, grabbing onto his well-muscled arms, he with his dark good looks, holding her close to his chest, looking at her as if he wanted to ravish her. With a sarcastic snort, Mandie tossed the book into the trash, too.

Even fiction was against her, she thought sadly to herself as she made her way back to work. She'd never know what it was like to have a man look at her the way the hero on the book cover looked at his heroine. She might as well get used to it. Without a second glance back at the book, she trudged her way back to work, the once sunny day now dreary.

_**NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS~~~~~~~~~~NCIS**_

_**A/N-**_** POOR MANDIE! THE GIRL JUST CAN'T CATCH A BREAK. WILL THE MONSTER MARINE FIND HER? WILL HE FINISH WHAT HE STARTED 3 YEARS AGO? WILL SACKS EVER STOP BEING SUCH A JACKASS? YOU'LL FIND THE ANSWERS TO THESE AND MORE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! BUT ONLY IF YOU REVIEW THIS ONE FIRST! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE POOR MANDIE IN LIMBO - REVIEW, AND MAYBE SAVE HER LIFE!**

**DISCLAIMER-**_**THE USUAL STUFF STILL APPLIES.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 11**

_**Shipping and Receiving-Stock Warehouse**_

_**La Place, Louisiana**_

Mandie took her job as dayshift supervisor seriously. She wasn't the kind to sit in the office and play computer solitaire all day - she got out on the floor with her workers. Because of her left leg, she couldn't do too much of the heavy work, but she drove forklifts, moved what she could, and generally tried to be visible to her "guys," let them know that she wouldn't ask them to do anything she wouldn't do - or attempt to do - herself. When their last supervisor had been fired (for hiding in his office and playing computer solitaire all day), everyone on dayshift begged upper management make Mandie the new supervisor, even though she was low man on the totem pole, having only worked there about two years. But she was fair, honest, and not afraid to pitch in and help. So Mandie had fast-tracked to management.

She was in the process of discussing the placement of new shipping pallets when her boss called from across the stockroom. "Sewell! Need ya' up front!"

Mandie handed her clipboard to her foreman, a gruff-looking, well-muscled older man named Ben, who was really a big ol' teddy bear, except on the job. He had the most seniority in the warehouse, but he'd been the first to recommend Mandie for the promotion. He was quite happy, being her number two. "Try not to send Lewis into the middle of Pontchartrain again, ok? Ya'll know he gets lost easily," she teasingly ordered the man with a smile.

"Awwww Mandie," Ben mock-complained. "You're takin' away all my fun!"

She rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. Her boss, Joe, was sitting in his office. "Yeah, boss?"

He nodded toward the front offices. "Not me. Up front."

Mandie nodded and walked down the hall to the corporate offices. She always felt out of place walking up here in her dusty, dirty jeans and t-shirt, work gloves hanging out of a back pocket. As she neared the door, she took out the ponytail she wore in the warehouse, letting her long hair fall over the left side of her face. There was nothing she could do about her limp - really only noticeable when she was tired or on her feet too much - but she _could_ lessen the shock of the scar running down her face.

She stepped up to the administrative assistant's desk, but before she could get a word out, there was a high-pitched scream from behind her.

"Mandie-Lou-Who!"

Only one person ever called her that. "Abby-Dabby-Doo!"

The two women ran to each other and hugged, jumping up and down and babbling just like little girls.

Having a little sister, McGee was used to such girlish displays, so he had a smile on his face, enjoying seeing his friends so happy. Tony and Ziva, meanwhile, stared at Abby and Mandie incredulously. "Please tell me this is not an American custom I must learn," Ziva ordered Tony nervously.

Tony just stared at his friends. "I have no idea _what_ this is, Zi," he murmured back. But he hated being left out, so he cleared his throat. "Quit hogging the hugs, Abbs. Save some for the rest of us."

Mandie immediately stopped and turned. "Ohmigod!" She squealed and ran over to the rest of her friends. She all but jumped into McGee's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Ohmigod! I can't believe ya'll are really here!" She let go of McGee and moved on to Ziva, who accepted the exuberant hug graciously. Mandie then fell into Tony's embrace. It felt as comforting and safe as always, and she realized how much she'd needed to feel this safe. She struggled to hold in her tears, and finally released her hold on Tony, who seemed just as reluctant to let her go, as well. Turning to face the group, Mandie noticed someone was missing. "Where's bossman?"

Everyone looked to Tony. He was the only one who would be able to carry off the story they'd come up with. Mandie would be able to tell the rest of them were lying. Tony silently thanked his team with a sarcastic look. "He's, uh, finishing up a case. He should be down soon, though."

Mandie accepted that with a smile, just happy to have her family with her. "Where are you guys staying? When did you get here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? How long can you stay? What's…mmmmph!"

Tony put a hand over her mouth. "Definitely a friend of Abby's," he teased, eyes twinkling. His hand flew off her mouth and he jumped back a step or two. "Eeeewwww!" Mandie had licked his palm. "Like I said," he groaned, looking for a place to wipe his wet hand, settling for the back of McGee's shirt. "Definitely a friend of Abby's!"

"We're staying as long as you need us…." Abby stopped at the glare she got from everyone. She'd almost given it all away. "…..to, be…fore you get sick of us and want us to go home. As for the rest of it, we got in a couple of hours ago, we're staying at the Hampton Inn, and we didn't tell you because we wanted to surprise you!"

Mandie hugged her again, and the two friends began jumping up and down and squealing all over again. The other three members of Team Gibbs shared a look and rolled their eyes, waiting for them to finish.

Mandie stopped jumping. "Hey, know what? Let me go clock out, tell the boss I'm leaving, and Abby and I can show ya'll around La Place." She headed for the door. "Well c'mon! You can see where I work!" When they got to her boss' office, she gave them all hard hats just to be safe, and introduced everyone. Then she led them into the main stock warehouse, putting her hair back into a ponytail.

McGee couldn't help the gasp that escaped when Mandie turned to face them, seeing her scar all healed for the first time. While it was no longer red and angry-looking, the thin, bright white, jagged line down the left side of her face stood out against Mandie's beginning tan. Abby and Tony both gave him a good head slap.

"It's ok, guys," Mandie said with a sad smile, "I'm used to it. The surgeon did a great job, but he couldn't make it invisible." She looked around for her foreman. Not seeing him in the immediate area, she popped into her office for her walkie-talkie. "Hey Ben, where you at?"

With a radio crackle, Ben responded. "Down in receiving. Got a problem with the delivery. Need ya' down here, boss. Maybe this rube will believe _you_, if'n he won't believe me."

Mandie sighed. There'd been problems with a lot of their goods received lately, and she was spending a lot of time on the phone correcting mistakes. She hated having to be stuck in her office on the phone. "On my way." She started walking toward the elevator that would take her down to the receiving bay. "You guys are more than welcome to come. It shouldn't take long." Her friends shrugged, and hopped onto the elevator with her. They hadn't known she was "boss man." She told them a little about what she and her crew did during the day and how she'd come to be called "boss." Her friends were impressed and said so, but Mandie brushed it off. "Truthfully, guys. No one else wanted the job, not even me. But hey, it adds a few hundred bucks to my paycheck every other week, so I'm not going to complain." The elevator stopped and Mandie threw open the gate. As she neared the open bay, she could see what the problem was.

About seventy-five percent of Mandie's workers were black, mostly creole, including her foreman. While no one in the company even blinked an eye at it, there were still some other companies they dealt with that hadn't heard yet that the Civil War was over. Most of the time, the skinhead drivers would just unload their trucks and leave, not talking to anyone or causing trouble. But every once in a while, there was that one idiot skinhead that had something to say. Like this guy confronting her foreman and her employees. She put on her "I'm the Boss" face and posture and walked into the stand-off. "Problem, gentlemen?"

Without taking his stare of the bald, beefy driver, Ben ran down the situation for Mandie, which was basically that when the driver couldn't get a rise out of the employees with his name-calling, he damaged some crates, saying how no one would believe that he'd done it because he was superior to them all just because of his skin color. "That true Mr…." she looked at his nametag on his shirt. "Beau?"

Beau the Skinhead sneered. "Well look-ee here. Didn't know you boys were bringing me down a present." He made a show of leering over her. His eyes narrowed at seeing her scar, but that didn't slow him down any. "Little damaged, but guess that's only fair, seein' as your shipment was damaged."

"Our shipment was damaged?"

Skinhead reached a hand out and traced a finger down her scar. "Yep. Can't trust these guys you got working for ya', sweetheart. We had words, and they went nuts, breaking into the shipment this way."

Mandie smiled. "Well then the cameras will have caught everything, right?"

Beau didn't like being contradicted, not by a man, and most certainly not by a woman. He stepped closer, towering over her. "You callin' me a liar, bitch?" He asked dangerously.

She pretended to think about it. "Mmmmmm….that would be…_yes_. Now, you're going to sign off on the damage to those crates, and you're going to return them back to your company. This confrontation has been recorded on video and will be submitted to your employer. If you're scrubbing trucks with a toothbrush after this, you'll be very lucky. Ben," she held her hand out to her foreman, never taking her eyes of Beau Skinhead. "Bill of Lading, please."

The driver was on her before she knew what hit her. "Listen, Franken-Bitch, no sewed together slut is going to tell me how to do my job, hear me?" All sound in the area came to a halt, and when the driver looked up, he saw he was surrounded by not only dock workers carrying various improvised weapons, but three people aiming guns at him.

Tony was about to step in and take control when Ziva stopped him with a shake of her head. He looked at what was happening. Her employees had circled in closer, all holding some sort of blunt object, and her foreman stepped in between Mandie and the driver, murderous look on his face. "You're going to want to take a step back, _son_," Ben growled angrily. Say and do what you want to him, but nobody messes with his boss. "Thirty of us, one of you. Not the kind of odds you want to be betting on." He pushed the paperwork into the driver's chest and gave him a nudge backward. "Boss told you to sign off and go. I suggest you do that while you still can."

Taking the papers, the driver scribbled his name and ripped off his copy. Giving them all the 'evil eye,' he walked back to the cab of his truck. "This ain't over," he muttered. He pointed to Mandie. "You 'n' me got unfinished business." The truck roared to life and with a hiss of the air brakes releasing, it was gone. The workers all took a minute to come by and pat Mandie on the shoulder, see if she was ok. She'd helped all of them in some way at one time or another, and they would do anything for her. The team waited until Mandie was alone with Ben to come forward. She was giving the other man some final instructions. "…call his boss now. Get the video account from security, have a dupe of this made and sent in with the report to corporate, and another to that jack-ass' boss."

Ben nodded, back in "Gentle Ben" mode. "You got it, kiddo. Sorry you got caught up in that…."

Mandie smiled. "No you're not, you just like rescuing damsels in distress."

Ben laughed and handed Mandie the signed paperwork. "Damn straight! How'd you think I got my wife?"

"Way I heard it, she whacked you silly over the head 'til you begged her to marry you. In fact, I went to her victory party." The two friends laughed. "Soon as I'm finished with the call, I'm outta' here. I'll be out tomorrow, too, so no sending the new drivers to places that don't exist, ok?"

"Spoilsport," she heard him mutter as he walked away with a smile.

As she walked back to the team, Abby ran up and grabbed Mandie in a hug. "Ohmigod! Are you ok?"

Mandie rolled her eyes. "I'm _fine_, Abby-Dabby." She wriggled out of the hug and led the way back to the elevator. "C'mon. Just have to make one phone call, and then we're outta' here." She and Abby chatted in the elevator, discussing everything they wanted to show their friends. "But first, we have to stop by the Hampton and get all your stuff." She saw that her friends were confused. "Why pay for a hotel when you can stay with me? Plenty of room with me at my cousin's house."

"Ooooo! Cousin Emily, cousin's house?" Abby fairly bounced, and Mandie laughed.

"_Yes_, Abby, Cousin Emily's house."

Abby turned to her friends. "Ohmigod, you guys are going to _love_ Cousin Emily's house! It's huge! I've always loved it - it reminds me of an old plantation house….."

"That's because it _is_ an old plantation house, Abby," Mandie interjected.

Ziva looked concerned. "Should we be just pushing our way into your cousin's home? Even if she has the room for us, it seems rather bold to just all of a sudden drop in and stay for who knows how long…."

"It's 'barging in,', Ziva," corrected Mandie, "and it's perfectly ok. Family is always welcome, and it's considered rude to stay in a hotel when there's perfectly good space for all ya'll with family."

McGee, Ziva, and Tony all looked at each other. While they didn't want to impose, this arrangement would work out so much better for looking after Mandie. After a shared look, Ziva spoke with a smile. "We would be delighted to join you at your cousin's home. Thank you."

Mandie smiled for what felt like the first time since she left D.C. She was back among family, and it felt great! She'd missed her friends so much - phone calls just didn't cut it. She wrapped her arms around the nearest person - which happened to be Tony - and sighed contentedly. Felt like home at last.

_**NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS*NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER! OH MY, WHAT ELSE CAN HAPPEN TO MANDIE? BUT AT LEAST HER FAMILY IS WITH HER, AND ALL IS WELL. ….. OR IS IT? I'M BACK TO WORK NOW, SO UPDATING MAY BE SPORADIC. I'LL DO MY BEST TO KEEP UP WITH IT. BUT NOW YA'LL CAN DO ME A FAVOR - I'M HAVING A HARD TIMEBACK AT WORK, SO I COULD USE SOME REVIEWS TO CHEER ME UP. I SERIOUSLY NEED THE SMILES, SO PLEASE HELP ME OUT BY TAKING A MOMENT TO REVIEW. PLEASE? THANKS!**

_**DISCLAIMER - NOTHING, AS USUAL. SAD, AS USUAL. : (**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 12**

_**Home of Emily Millet**_

_**La Place, Louisiana**_

Mandie swung the front door open, leading her NCIS friends into the foyer. "Em! Emily!"

The agents took in their surroundings. "Are you sure this is alright?" Ziva questioned once more.

Abby answered for Mandie. "Of _course_ it's ok! This is how we do things down here, trust me!"

A thin, young woman walked in from the direction of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. "Mandie Lou? That you? What're you doing home so early in the day? You alright?" She stopped when she saw the team with Mandie. "Well, you gonna' leave them standing there all day with their bags? You can drop those off upstairs, ya'll, there's plenty of free bedrooms for ya' to choose from later. Just took some of my world famous peanut butter cup brownies out of the oven, there's fresh-made sweet tea. C'mon ya'll, parlor's this way."

Emily led the way down the hall, followed by a starving Tony, who piled his luggage onto Tim. "Since you're going up, anyway…thanks, McGee." Abby was next, pulling a rather stunned-looking Ziva along behind her, but not before they both tossed their bags onto poor Tim, also. Poor McGee could barely move for all the luggage weighing him down.

"Hey! Guys? ….I'm hungry, too….! Ziva? Abby!"

Mandie grabbed a couple of the smaller bags from the top of the pile. "C'mon, Tim. I'll help you."

Tim sighed in relief. "Thanks, Mandie." On the way upstairs, Tim asked Mandie questions about the house, its' history, the furnishings. Mandie could tell Tim was truly interested - the writer in him, she guessed - so she didn't mind donning her tour guide hat.

With a happy, heavy sigh, Tim dropped the luggage to the side of the hallway at the top of the stairs. Mandie gave him a conspiratorial smile. "Got a rule in this house - 'you do the work, you get the reward.'" She grabbed his hand and began to lead him down the hall. "C'mon, you get first pick of rooms, and if you'll let me, I know just the one." She led him to a room at the very end, and opened the door. Being a corner room, it had windows on two walls, facing different directions - one with a view of Lake Pontchartrain in the distance, the other looking out over the main road, the park just visible down the street.

If the view didn't sell McGee on the room, the décor did. The dark wood accents gave an old world feel. One wall was a built-in bookcase, chockfull of what Tim would later discover were mostly first editions of the classics. There was a late nineteenth century secretary desk in an alcove, an old-fashioned typewriter - even older than his own! - on a desk, and all kinds of items lending to the library/study atmosphere of the room.

Mandie laughed, seeing the look of awe and wonder on McGee's face. Every time she came in this room since her time in D.C., she was reminded of him. "Well? If you don't like it, there's others…." A hug from Tim cut off the rest of her sentence.

"I think I love you! I could happily live in this room for the rest of my life! Thanks, Mandie!"

"You're welcome!" She smiled. "I'm glad you got it first. It's the biggest room, so you _know_ Tony would want it, no matter the motif." Mandie pulled an old-fashioned key out of her pocket. "Here, we'll lock it 'til the others are done fighting over the rest of the rooms, so no one - I.e. Tony - can steal it out from under you."

Tim grabbed Mandie up in another hug and planted a big kiss on her cheek. Her scarred cheek. And it didn't seem to faze him. Well, if it didn't bother him, she wouldn't let it bother her, she guessed. "C'mon, let's go grab some treats before Tony and Abby eat them all."

Mandie and Tim walked into the parlor, where everyone was relaxing, smiling and talking. "Where have you two been?" Tony asked suspiciously. Tim and Mandie shared a smile.

"Just….bringing the luggage upstairs," Mandie smiled. Tony squinted. McGeek and The Girl were up to something…..they both looked a little too innocent. And that smile…Mandie and McGee…? Nah….they wouldn't…..would they? And why does the thought of that bother him? McGee's a good guy - caring, compassionate, up on all the latest stuff about women….just the kind of guy Mandie needed….Tony mentally head-slapped himself. Mandie and McGee? Pffft, no way! Mandie's got better taste than that….doesn't she, he asked himself, watching the woman in question serve McGee brownies and sweet tea. Nah, he reassured himself. She wouldn't….he'd keep an eye on them.

The group had been sitting around chatting for quite a while when the front door opened and banged shut. "Mandie Lou!" A young woman's voice called from the foyer.

"In the parlor, Annie," Mandie replied, while Emily went to the kitchen to refill the pitcher of tea.

"Mandie Lou, was driving by, saw your car outside, thought I'd pop in and see if everything was ok."

Mandie smiled at her friend. "Everything's fine. Just got some company today, that's all. Annie, this is my Washington, D.C. family…" she introduced everyone. "And of course, you remember Abby."

Abby and Annie hugged, and instantly began chatting, like no time had passed since they last saw each other. Tony, Tim, and Ziva watched with amazement as both Abby and Annie spoke rapid-fire. "It's something, isn't it?" Emily said, laying out another tray of brownies. "You should hear 'em when they're excited about something."

As one, the NCIS team said, "We have!"

Over the course of the afternoon, several of Mandie's friends stopped in, and stayed to hang around talking. Hanging around talking led to having dinner. As the large group was trailing into the dining room, a big pair of hands came out of nowhere and grabbed Emily up. Without a thought, the three NCIS agents had their weapons out and trained on the tall, dark-haired gentleman that had their hostess off her feet in a bridal carry. Trained agents they may be, but they'd failed to notice that Emily was giggling like a schoolgirl. "Put me down, ya' big oaf!" Seeing that her 'captor' had gone stock still, she turned her head to see three very determined agents ready to shoot holes in the man. "Don't shoot! This is Charlie, my husband! Honestly, he's just playin'!"

Tim, Ziva and Tony slowly lowered their weapons and returned them to their holsters. "Charlie, honey, these are Mandie Lou's friends from up in D.C. They came in this morning to surprise her."

Charlie carefully set Emily back on her feet, keeping her next to him with an arm around her waist. He dropped a kiss on her head as he studied the trio, who all murmured an apology. "Any of ya'll do any hunting?"

Ziva spoke up. "I have hunted on occasion."

Tony rolled his eyes,. ":He means _animals_, Zee-vah, not people."

Ziva looked confused. "Why would anyone hunt animals?" At another of Tony's eye rolls, she figured it out. "Ohhhhhh." She turned back to Charlie. "Then no. I have not…hunted." As Charlie's mouth hung open, Emily backed up and bade the agents to enter the dining room. Before she could follow behind them, Charlie held her back.

"What kinda' people was our Mandie Lou associating with up there in D.C.?"

Emily just chuckled, raised up on her toes and kissed her husband's cheek. "The kind that love her and want her to be safe." Charlie had to give that point to Emily. Even before she came back from D.C., all anyone 'round here heard about from Mandie Lou was 'Timmy this, Ziva that, Gibbs said, Tony did' …and of course, Abby everything. The family had been happy to hear her friends were federal agents - they figured, how much safer could Mandie Lou be? After meeting them in person, Charlie was reserving judgment, especially after The Incident, as they all called what had happened to Mandie Lou. "We'll see," was all he said.

_**NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS^^^^^NCIS**_

Later that evening, after all the friends had finally gone home, Mandie led Ziva, Tony, and Tim upstairs to choose their bedrooms. Abby just picked up her things and walked down the hall to the room she always used when she visited. Twice, Tony and Ziva ended up arguing over the same room. To avoid Tony's bloodshed, Mandie made those two rooms - and any other room they might bicker over before it was over - off-limits. And Tim just stood by quietly, a smug smirk on his face.

Tony tried the door at the end of the hall - it was locked. "Hey! Why's this one locked?" He looked at the door, then back at McGee. "Wait a minute…." Tony walked down the hall and stopped in front of McGee, giving him The Glare. "Why aren't you running around like the rest of us to find a room?"

Tim just smiled. "Just letting you have first pick, that's all."

Tony stared him down, then understanding shone in his eyes. "_That's_ what took you two so long up here….you picked your room first!" Tim sputtered denials. "You _did_! That's why that door is locked, you claimed it first, McDevious! Give me the key!"

Tim rolled his eyes at Tony. "I'm not giving you the key, Tony, and _I_ didn't choose my bedroom first."

Tony death-glared at Tim. "The key, McGee." He held out his hand, palm up.

"I don't _have_ the key, Tony, and even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you." He pushed away the hand that was reaching for his suit jacket pocket. "Cut it out!"

Tony kept trying to frisk Tim for the key. "Hand it over, McRoomHog…."

Tim was slapping Tony's hands as they tried to get in every possible hiding spot on his body. "Tony! I don't have….would you stop? _Tony_!"

Tony managed to turn Tim and push him against the wall, as if he were frisking a suspect. "Give me the key, McHidingIt…I'm senior agent, which means _I_ should get first pick of rooms!"

A loud, ear-piercing whistle startled Tim and Tony into frozen silence as they looked over at Mandie. She had picked up Tony's luggage and walked the opposite way down the hall to the room at that end. She opened the door and threw Tony's bags in. "Welcome to your new room," she called to Tony, who was staring at her, mouth open in disbelief. As she walked back passed him down to Tim's room, she put a finger to his chin and shut his mouth. "Flies'll get in, and we got some pretty big ones down here, sugah," she said, motioning Tim to follow her. She unlocked his door, and made a grand production of presenting the key to Tim. Two door down across the hall, Ziva chuckled, smirk on her face as she shut the door to the room she'd finally chosen behind her.

_**NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS=====NCIS**_

_**Shipping and Receiving-Stock Warehouse**_

_**LaPlace, Louisiana**_

_**One Week Later**_

Mandie was finally back to work after spending several days playing hostess to her D.C. family. They all pretty much insisted she go back - they were afraid they'd wear out their welcome faster if she spent every day with them. Truth be told, she _was_ glad to get away for a little while. The guys were acting kind of strange. Well, stranger than usual - for them! Someone was always with her, wanting to do something with her. She and Abby had played tour guide around their little section of Louisiana. And she and Abby were never left alone, either, someone else was always hanging around. They'd tried secret meetings in the middle of the night in one of their bedrooms, but they were usually found out. Ziva had joined them for a couple of them, wanting to experience an American pajama party. What did a girl have to do to talk - alone! - with her best friend? There were other little things that were kind of odd, but she just put it down to not having seen them for so long. But in any case, she was over the moon to have them here, to be with them again.

After checking in with all the different departments in the warehouse, she headed down to the maintenance garage. While she'd been gone, one of the pallet forklifts went screwy, doing its' own thing instead of what it was asked to do. It's done that before, a few times now, so hopefully the maintenance guys get it fixed right this time. Opening the door to the shop, she reached up and checked her hard hat to make sure it was secure. Heavy metal music blasted through the garage. Good thing she's spent lots of time with Abby, she's used to loud music! She caught the attention of Bill, the head mechanic, and he went over and turned the music off. Bill and his assistant, Roy, spent a few minutes going over repairs and their costs with Mandie, then walked over to 'Hooch' - the mind-of-its'-own forklift. Everyone had nicknamed it Hooch because it drove like it was drunk - all over the place.

Walking around the vehicle, Mandie slipped a little. "Awwww man, sorry, Mandie-Lou. Didn't know she'd started leaking again. Sorry!" Bill told Roy to cover the oil spot with the sawdust-cat litter mix they used to absorb the oil.

"No problem, Billy. Thought that leak was fixed last time Hooch was in." Mandie subtly gave her left thigh a little massage. The slip and save had twisted her leg a little and the muscles were letting her know they weren't happy about that.

The grease-covered older man shook his head in confusion. "We've fixed that oil leak _several_ times. Every time this baby comes in, it's leaking from a different spot. Might cost a bit more, but it would be worth it to completely replace the oil pan and everything. 'Course, knowing Hooch, she'd find a way to leak from it anyway, new or not."

Mandie smiled. "Think someone up in Corporate got on ol' Madame Laveau's bad side?" She chuckled along with Billy at the thought of someone being hexed by New Orleans' famous Voodoo queen. "Ballpark, how much to replace all that. Just your best guesstimate."

Squinting as he scratched his head, Bill did some quick math in his head. "Ballpark, probably between $3,500 and $5,000, depending what-all needs to be replaced." Seeing Mandie's skeptical look, the older mechanic rushed on, "compare that to all the time lost while she's in here for repairs….."

Shaking her head, Mandie pinched her eyes with her thumb and forefinger and sighed. "Ok, write up an estimate and I'll try and sell it to upstairs." She turned and walked around the back of the machine. Checking caps and levers, she heard Bill yelling to Roy to hurry up with that sawdust mixture. She noticed that 'Hooch' was a little wobbly, so she took a step back so as not to bump it. Continuing with her visual inspection, Mandie didn't see the new oil stain under her feet. Turning to speak to Billy, her left foot slid and twisted, and she felt herself falling. Her arms wind milled as she tried to keep her balance. Ah, damn! Her left quad twinged, and she heard Billy yelling something, but she was so concentrated on trying to get up off the floor without pulling that musclw some more.

Mandie was about half-way up when she heard Billy calling her name loudly. Then she heard a low rumble. She looked up to see the forklift wobbling and tilting….and headed straight for her! Her brain was telling her to get the hell out of the way, but she was frozen in place. She didn't even feel it when Billy jumped in and pushed her out of the way. Her eyes were wide with fear, watching the heavy machine come closer and closer. She saw it land with a crash…but it didn't land on _her_…it took a few moments for her to realize she was safe….but Billy wasn't!

As she screamed his name, Mandie's fear paralysis was broken. She limped over to the forklift and immediately began trying to move it off of the head mechanic. Roy cam running, sawdust and kitty litter trailing behind him. He helped her try to lift the machine, too.

"Billy! Bill!" She screamed his name, and saw the older man's hand twitch. "Just hang on, Billy. Help's on the way, ok? Hang on!" She thumbed her walkie-talkie and called for emergency services to the maintenance garage, then threw it to the side. She got down on the floor next to Billy, talking to him, trying to get him to stay awake. Billy's skin was turning paler by the second. Mandie began to cry - she knew Bill's injuries were severe. "C'mon, Billy, just a few more minutes, ok? Hang on…please….c'mon…you don't want 'Hooch' to win, do you?"

The police officers that came with the firefighters had to forcibly pick Mandie up and carry her away from the scene. Strong arms came around her, and she turned and cried in Ben's arms. Ben sat and held her hand as the police took her witness statement, then insisted that she go home. He offered to drive her, but she declined. She needed some time to come to grips with what had happened.

Driving out of the parking lot, Mandie was too preoccupied and teary-eyed to notice that Tony and Ziva were sitting in a car near the exit. Ziva was on the phone with McGee, telling him what had gone down and to keep an eye on Mandie while Tony was talking to two deputies from the local police department.

_**NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS**_

_Millet Hom_

_LaPlace, Louisiana_

Mandie walked slowly into the house, saw the note from Emily saying that she and Abby had gone visiting for the afternoon, and they'd be home in time for supper - Abby was making her gumbo.

Tim walked quietly out of the parlor. "Mandie?"

With a shuddering sigh, Mandie realized that she wasn't alone - her family was here. She turned and ran the few steps into Tim's arms, sobbing. He gave her a comforting hug, then, keeping one arm around her, led her into the parlor and sat on the sofa. Mandie immediately curled up against him.

Tim didn't say a word, just let Mandie cry. He knew from experience that there was nothing he could say. He'd seen dead people. He'd shot people. But he'd never had to stand there helpless and watch someone's life slip away.

When she finally felt all cried out, Mandie sat up, sniffling. Tim stroked her back softly. "You ok?" She nodded sadly, then shook her head when he asked if there was anything he could do.

"I just want to take a shower," Mandie mumbled.

Tim helped her stand and walked her upstairs. "I'm right downstairs - holler if you need anything, ok?" She nodded and Tim pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "ok. We'll see you in a bit."

When Tim had left, Mandie pulled out some soft shorts out of the dresser, along with a big, baggy, comfortable t-shirt. Dressing for company just wasn't gonna' happen after the events of today. She stood under the hot shower and let the spray mingle and wash away her tears. Her left leg, a dull ache since this morning, began to seriously knot up. As much as she wanted to hide away here in the shower the rest of the day, she knew she wasn't going to be able to stand much longer. Her entire left leg was already beginning to tremble. Turning off the shower, she slid open the curtain and stepped out of the tub. Only she made the unconscious mistake of putting her left leg out first, and fell face-first on the floor with a small cry. She lay there for a moment, so physically and emotionally exhausted, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.

Not bothering to stand up, she grabbed a towel and dried off there on the floor, then pulled her shorts and t-shirt off the counter and got dressed the same way. She sat there on the floor for a minute trying to catch her breath and muster up some strength to stand.

With a sigh, Mandie reached up with both hands to grab the edge of the counter. With great effort (and a lot of swearing and crying!), she rose to a standing position. She didn't pause long to rest - she knew she'd never be able to leave this spot if she didn't keep moving. Opening the bathroom door, she slowly, painfully, made her way down the hall to her bedroom, one hand on the wall for support. She was about half-way there when her left leg seized up, and she screamed in agony, as she once again landed on the floor.

Hearing Mandie's scream, Tim shot up the stairs, shocked to find her on the floor. "Mandie!" Running over, he knelt next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Leg! _Leg!_" Mandie sobbed. Tim had to fight her hands away so he could take a look. He didn't need to be a doctor to know it was bad. The muscle was clearly defined and easy to see. Running assessing fingers over the thigh and calf, Tim noticed that the left quad was rigid and all knotted up. Mandie screamed every time he touched it. "Ok, Mandie, first things first. I'm going to carry you to the bed, ok? And then we'll get some ice on that quad."

Mandie nodded and let out a little whimper as Tim gently slid one hand under her knees and the other around her back, and lifted her as gingerly as he possibly could. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life as he slowly brought her to her room and laid her on her bed. Tim gathered pillows and carefully stuffed them under her knee. "Ok, I'll be right back with an ice pack."

As he ran out of the room, Mandie tried to rearrange the pillows propping up her knee but only succeeded in hurting herself more, so she gave up. She sighed. It felt like the world was pressing down on her between what had happened at work and both the physical and emotional pain. Tim came back with a huge ice pack and a towel and set them up on her thigh. She hissed at first contact, then tried to relax.

About half an hour later, Ziva and Tony returned back to the Millet house from their surveillance at the warehouse. Neither Tim nor Mandie were anywhere on the first floor, so they headed for the staircase. As they climbed, they heard Mandie yell. They ran the rest of the way up, following the yelling and crying to Mandie's bedroom.

Bursting through the bedroom door, Tony's eyes about popped out of his head at the scene in front of him, and he felt a flare of anger wash over him then disappear. He'd wonder later what that was about. But at the moment, he and Ziva took in front of them - McGee on the bed, kneeling over Mandie's leg trying to massage her thigh muscles. "What the hell is going on?" Tony yelled.

"Please! Stop, McGee! _Stop!_" Mandie cried. "It hurts! No! No more, please!" Tim looked up and saw Tony and Ziva in the doorway. He hopped - gently! - off the bed. "Oh, thank God!" He walked over to them. "I've been trying to work out the muscles, but it's hurting her so much….."

Ziva was at Mandie's side, trying to talk her into taking her Skelaxin (a muscle relaxant) or the Tramadol (pain medication), but Mandie would have none of it, not wanting to be so out of it and tired. Ziva tried several times, and every time, Mandie said no. Seeing she was becoming more agitated over taking the medication, Ziva left her alone for a short while. She joined Tony and Tim near the door. "What are we whispering about?" She whispered.

Tony kept one eye on Mandie. "McDoctorFeelGood, here, is going to slip Mandie a mickey in her juice."

Ziva pouted in confusion. "What does Disney Land have to do with this?"

Tony rolled his eyes as Tim answered. "Not that kind of mickey. I'm going to spike her juice with one of her meds. We just can't decide which one, the relaxant or the pain meds."

"well, the doctor said they may be taken together, yes? I would give her both. One helps the other."

Tony smiled that big, cheesy, fake smile. "Oh Ziva. You've finally become sneaky and devious." He pretended to wipe a tear. "I'm so proud!"

Ziva smacked him on the arm. "Oh, fuzz off! Come, McGee, let's go get that juice and let the good doctor, here, deal with Mandie's pain."

Tony watched his partners in crime walk out of the room. "And it's _'BUZZ' _off, not 'fuzz' off, crazy ninja chick!" He closed the door behind them and walked to the bed. "Ok, Manda-Panda, they're gone, you can cut the hurt act," he teased.

If looks could kill, Tony would have been road pizza. "Bite me," Mandie growled.

Tony pretended to be shocked. "Oh! I've seen this movie! It's like Linda Blair in The Exorcist! Sweet, innocent, little girl turns into raging demon from hell!"

Mandie burst into tears. "Shut up, Tony, just shut up! It hurts, dammit! Shoulda' let that forklift hit me, it wouldn't hurt as much!"

He felt bad now. Normally the teasing would have at least gotten a smile if not a laugh. He sat on the edge of the bed and wiped away a couple of her tears. "Hey kiddo, I'm sorry. I know it hurts. Want me to make it better?" A sniffling nod was his only answer. "Ok. First of all, let's get rid of some of these pillows under your knee…..you've had ice for, what, half an hour?" Another nod. "Ok, good. McDoctor Doolittle is going to bring up a nice hot pack for after, ok? And some juice. You need some potassium for those muscles." He very gently checked her thigh and down her calf. Seems like the quads were the worst of it. Tony began with a slow, barely there massage, increasing in pressure as Mandie's pain level would allow. He did his best to tune out her whimpers and tears - if he gave in to them, she'd never get better, because he'd have to stop every time she made a sound. He talked in a soft, almost hypnotic tone to calm her. When he felt the first sign of muscle relaxation, he wanted to cheer, but he just kept talking and massaging.

The bedroom door opened and back in came Tim and Ziva carrying juice and hot packs. Mandie was so busy trying to drink that she missed the secret look that passed between the three agents. Tony massaged for a few minutes more, then placed the hot packs along the top of her thigh. "How's that, Mandie-Mine?"

"S'ok," she mumbled, watching as Tony worked her calf muscles a bit. Within a few minutes, she could feel her body becoming heavy, and her head getting fuzzy. "No. No, no, no…. you know I don' like taking the meds….puss me 'sleep….get…fuzz-zy…." Mandie looked at her three friends, who were fading in and out. But she could still see the look of guilt on Tim's face. She raised a now-limp hand to point at him accusingly. "You…s'ipped me a mih…hickey, 'Gee? Though' tha' was only in To'y's ol' mooooovies 'at people did dat…..here's sumpin' else 'ey do in To'y's movies…..b'ware the curse of Madame Laveau….." Mandie twirled her fingers around in a silly, magical dance, and then she was out like a light.

Tony and Ziva started leaving the room, an anxious McGee trailing behind them. "Wait, Madame Laveau? Wasn't she the famous Voodoo priestess? Why should I beware….Mandie didn't just hex me, did she? Tony?"

Tony quickly jumped a few feet away from McGee. "Hey! Keep back a minimum of five feet, McCursed! I don't want any of that bad mojo bouncing off you onto me!" He jogged down the stairs. "So you think it's real? Tony? Ziva, what about you…do yo believe in curses?"

"No, Mcgee, I do not. There is no such thing." Ziva took a few steps back, though. "But just in case….five feet, yes?" She followed Tony downstairs.

"Oh, c'mon,,,,,there's no such thing as curses….guys? Guys? Hey guys! Wait!" McGee ran down the stairs behind Ziva and Tony, calling after them the whole way.

_**NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS NCISNINCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNC ISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNC ISNCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE CHAPTER! IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, PRETTY PLEASE WITH MY MOST FAVORITE PEANIT BUTTER CUPS ON TOP REVIEW! THE REAL MANDIELOU WANTS TO KNOW HOW MUCH WE LOVE HER! **_**(Go read her NCIS stories! Love'em, love'em, love'em! If you're a Tony fan, these are for YOU!) **_** AS LATKA FROM TAXI WOULD SAY, 'THENK YOU VERY MUCH!'**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- Sorry it's been so long. Trying to break thru a mondo case of Writer's Block. If this chapter sucks, that's why. Maybe it's the Autumn Doldrums, I don't know. But in any case, thanks for jumping back in with me, and I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations! Big thanks to they-know-who-they-are, for helping me get thru this rough spot. Go read Mandielouluvsewe's stories. Tony, talking Italian…(fanning self)-she's real good at that! She's also got one about ME, (Haven't Met You Yet) - maybe more reviews, favorites, alerts, etc. will get her to give me another chapter! LOL I neither give nor receive anything from or to anyone or any corporation even remotely involved with NCIS in any way, shape, or form. Just one more reason to be blue. ****L**

**So, without further ado, I give you….**

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 13**

_LaPlace, Louisiana_

The week following Bill's death passed in a blur for Mandie. The front door of the house may as well have been a revolving one, with all her friends and family dropping in to check on her. Sometimes it was so overwhelming she'd fake leg pain so she could hide away in her room for a little while. She'd had a good crying jag at Bills' wake. Abby and Tim had accompanied Mandie to Bill's house, where people were gathering. She'd been so worried about going there, afraid Bill's widow, Marlene, would be mad. Maybe slap her in the face, or even throw her out of the house. But none of that happened. As she stepped up to Marlene, the older woman opened her arms in welcome, and hugged Mandie tight. It occurred to her later that it had been more Marlene comforting Mandie than the other way around.

Bill's funeral had been just as emotionally draining, and now she was hiding in her room, exhausted. Everyone had been in, trying to get her to come out, but she just wasn't in the mood. Not even all of Abby's pleading, begging, and whining could entice her out.

There was a soft knock, then the door opened. "May I come in?" a soft voice asked.

"I'm not coming out, Ziva."

Ziva sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. "I am not here to try and make you do something you do not want to do," she said softly. "But I _am_ here to listen, if you wish to talk."

Mandie didn't even roll over and look at Ziva. Just shook her head. "Nothing to talk about."

"Then I will sit and keep you company, if that is alright."

She shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat," Mandie told her.

After a moment of silence, Ziva spoke. "I know what it is to want to hide away from the world. To want to forget everyone and every_thing_. Because if you do, then you can pretend like nothing is wrong, that everything is punky-story."

Mandie couldn't help but smile. She rolled over and sat up against the headboard. "I think you mean 'hunky-dory.'"

Ziva's face scrunched up in confusion. "How can 'Dory' be hunky? I thought only males could be hunky…."

Mandie smiled again. "No, 'dory' isn't a person….it's….well…." her own face scrunched up in thought. "I think this is one of those ones we have to have Tim research for us!" The two women laughed. When the laughter had died down, Mandie had to ask. "You…you were talking about when you….returned from Somalia, right?"

"Yes." Ziva played with the fringe on the bedspread. "Everyone was so helpful. So caring. So…always there. Wanting me to talk, wanting me to cry, just wanting, wanting, wanting. And all I wanted was to hide. To pretend that nothing had ever happened, it was a normal day. I began to…resent…when they would come to visit. I knew they meant well, but….they were making me face things I was not yet ready to face. Sometimes I just wanted to scream at them that I did not _want _to talk, I did not _want _to cry on their shoulder, that what I _wanted_ was to just be left alone." She stopped and smiled at Mandie. "But I did not. As annoying as they were, I knew they were trying to help in the only way they knew how. I was not…trained…to be friends with the people you work with. They are your comrades, partners for the cause, but they are not your friends. This whole…friendship…thing was difficult for me. One day, I could not take anymore of Tony's pushy whining, and agreed to go out with them. Just for a little while. Maybe then, they would leave me alone for a while. I found myself accepting more and more invitations to go out or have a movie night, and one day I realized….I was happy. Oh, Somalia was still there, looming in the back of my mind. But I discovered that ….hiding away does not make the problem go away. It only makes the pain grow and grow. And that it is alright to cry on someone's shoulder, and to talk to someone. That letting in the people you love, letting them share your pain….really does help. The sorrow becomes lighter with each person you let in." She could see that she'd given Mandie some things to really think over, so she excused herself. She stopped at the door. "We are all here…if you need anything."

As she turned to go, Ziva heard Mandie call out to her.

"Hey, Ziva? Um….I'm…kinda' hungry. You think everyone would want to go get something to eat?"

Ziva smiled, willing back tears. "I think we would all really like that. Go freshen up, I will wait for you, we can walk down together."

Mandie swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Thanks," she whispered to her friend, knowing how hard this must have been for her to talk about. She got off the bed and slipped into the bathroom. Ziva took a deep breath and held it for a moment, then released it slowly and smiled. One does what one has to….for family.

_**NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~~NCIS~~NCIS**_

_Italian Pie - Restaurant_

_La Place, Louisiana_

The mood in the large booth with a couple of tables added on was upbeat, but low-key. No one wanted to overdo it for Mandie. She was slowly beginning to enjoy herself, allow herself to be led into conversations, even sharing a joke or two here and there. The team noticed that the spark wasn't quite back in her eye, but she was getting there. Tony had said that all Mandie really needed was a little TLT. "You mean, Time, Love, and Tenderness?" Abby had asked, curious. Not wanting the team thinking that he was going soft or anything, cuz he wasn't, Mandie's just a friend, just like Abby and Ziva. That really _was_ what he'd meant, but he couldn't let _them_ know that. "No, I mean, 'Time, Love, and Tickling!" and he proceeded to tickle Abby 'til she could hardly breathe and was begging for mercy. Tony absently rubbed his shoulder, where Abby had punched him when he'd stopped tickling. He should have known better - Abby _always_ gets her revenge! Well, at least he had his seafood ravioli. Man! Forget all his favorite Italian restaurants in DC or New York City - this stuff was heaven! He heard laughing as he started his third serving.

"Ooooooooh To-neeeeee! Wait 'til I tell Mama Louisa you're cheating on her!" Mandie called down the table to him.

Abby laughed. "She'll never make her special ravioli for him again when she hears about _this_!"

Turning to Abby with a smile, Mandie joked, "What do you want to bet she puts a hex on him with her 'Evil Eye'!" She made the sign with her fingers and wiggled it at Tony as the rest of the table burst into laughter.

Tony reached around the two people separating him and Mandie, and grabbed the hand out of the air. "Don't mess around with that thing! Very bad mojo, I'm telling you! Innocent people could get hurt!" He gave her hand a small squeeze before letting it go and leaning back in his chair.

The whole table immediately sobered up. Some friends even apologized solemnly. As did Abby and Mandie. "Yeah, I'm real sorry, Tony," Mandie said, a contrite tone in her voice. "I didn't mean to invoke bad spirits or anything." She could only hold the serious face for so long, before she burst into laughter, along with everyone else seated with them.

Tony pouted as he stuffed another seafood ravioli in his mouth. 'Sorry, Mama Louisa,' he mentally told the older woman who owned and was the chef in his favorite little Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant. "You'll see. You mock the spirit of the Evil Eye, but just wait, when you're all unable to sleep tonight because of horrendous nightmares….don't come cryin' to me, cuz I warned you! I have respect for The Eye, and _I'll_ sleep soundly tonight." A raucous burst of laughter followed.

"Tony," called McGee, "You'll only sleep soundly tonight because of all the wine you've had!" Everyone laughed again.

Tony snarled at him. "Laugh it up, fuzz-ball!"

"Oh! Oh! I know this one!" yelled Mandie, raising her hand. "Star Wars! Han Solo to Chewie, after the princess insults him!"

And so it went on for a few hours. After all the drinks, the girls of the table got up to go to the ladies' room. Abby, Mandie, and Annie were the last ones to make the trek back to the table. Having stepped aside to let someone pass, Mandie was a few feet behind her friends. She felt a jostle from behind, then a hand steadying her as she turned to tell the person belonging to the hand to let go, but that person spoke first.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see…hi!"

Mandie was startled at first, then recognized him as the guy from the park a while back. The one who'd walked away when he'd seen her scar. "Uh….hi." She untucked the hair from her left ear and let it droop down over most of her scar.

"You don't remember me…we met a while ago…in the park? You almost got beheaded with a Frisbee?" He smiled and held out his hand. "Rick."

She pretended like she'd forgotten. "Oh! Right, right, the Frisbee…." she took his hand and gave it a small shake.

"And you're….Molly?" he hedged.

"Uh, _Mandie._ Mandie." She was flustered, confused. On the one hand, he seemed genuinely pleased to see her again. On the other…..well, he _did_ beat a hasty retreat when he got a look at the scar…..

Rick cupped her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I'm really bad with names. _Mandie._" He smiled.

And Mandie heard a phantom Abby in her ear, telling her to not be such a Doubting Debbie, and give the guy a chance. So she jumped in with both feet. "That's ok, Mandie, Molly…some similarity," she said with a smile. And smiled bigger when she saw the spark of happiness in his eyes. She'd have to remember to thank Abby later.

Abby and Annie were about ten feet away, waiting for Mandie to rejoin them. "Who's the guy?" Abby asked quietly.

"I don't know, never seen him before," Annie answered just as softly, both women not taking their eyes off their friend. Or the cute guy! "Seems like Mandie-Lou knows him, though….." They watched as the two talked for a few minutes, noting the way the guy kept touching her shoulder or elbow as they chatted. Seeing Mandie headed toward them - with a huge grin on her face - Abby and Annie quickly began a discussion of their own. "Oh, hey, Mandie." The trio started walking back to their table. Abby and Annie shared a look.

"So, uh, Mandie…who's the guy?" Abby asked, trying to be nonchalant, secretly noting that her friend appeared to be floating on air instead of walking. She smiled.

"Huh?" Mandie startled out of her daze. "Oh, that's Rick. We met in the park a while ago. He almost beheaded me with a Frisbee." She sighed, and couldn't wipe the smile off her face. They had all just sat down again when Mandie bounced back up. "Dangit! Left my lipstick in the ladies' room."

"What's the big deal? It's only lipstick…." said Tony.

Mandie and the rest of the women at the table rolled their eyes. "_Only_ lipstick?" Mandie about yelled. "Yeah, _only_ my _fav-or-ite_ lipstick, lipstick that costs fifteen bucks a tube!" Abby reached over and head slapped Tony. "Thank you, Abby."

"You're welcome, sister in paraffin wax and red dye number two!" She looked around the tables at the looks she was getting. "What? That's the chemical base for all lipsticks….."

Shaking her head with a laugh, Mandie stepped away from the table. "I'll be right back. Hopefully no one stole it." She got to the short line waiting to use the ladies' room, but no one would let her cut in. "But I'm not _using_ the bathroom! I just need to get my lipstick!" She sighed and waited her turn, tapping her foot impatiently.

Mandie had been gone for several minutes, and the DC team was starting to worry. They couldn't help but remember what happened the _last _time they'd all been out together as a group. Abby finally couldn't stand it anymore. "I'll go check on her. It's probably just a long line…." Their friend Annie stood up also, saying she'd go with. Then McGee decided to join the girls. Across the room, they could see Mandie, leaning against wall, looking devastated. As they neared, they could hear a group of male voices laughing, then a loud voice saying something about Frankenstein, followed by more laughter. With a sob, Mandie flew past Abby, Annie, and McGee, not even seeing them. Without thinking, Abby and Annie took off after Mandie, while McGee chose to stay and make sure they'd heard what he _thought_ they'd heard.

_Five minutes earlier…_

Finally getting into the bathroom, Mandie was jazzed to see that her lipstick was still there on the counter. She about danced out of the bathroom. As she passed the wall separating the restaurant from the bar, she heard a familiar male voice - the guy from the park. Rick. He was laughing with his friends. She'd been about to pop around the corner and say hi when she heard one of the guys mention a scar, and the group laughed. She paused, leaning on the wall, waiting to see what would be said next, heart pounding in her chest.

"We met her in the park, remember? I knew I knew her from somewhere, but couldn't remember her name." Rick.

"Frankenstein!" Another male voice, more laughter. Mandie began to hyperventilate.

"You never remember names, man! But you sure couldn't forget a face like that!" Mandie didn't stick around to hear more. The only thought in her head was 'escape! Escape!' With a sob - she'd _known_ it would end up like this, why did she even bother? - she ran for the door, and out to the street.

It was a few minutes later, when McGee and the girls hadn't come back, that Tony's gut began to bother him. He waited a few more minutes, then couldn't take it anymore. "Be right back." As he crossed the restaurant, he saw McGee arguing with another guy, who was surrounded by several burly friends. He'd enjoy evening up the odds for his Probie.

"…..through hell, and it's guys like you that don't ever let her forget it!" What was McGee talking about?

"Look, dude, we're sorry, ok? We didn't know she was standing there…." What? Tony stormed around the corner.

"So that makes it ok? Even if she _hadn't _been standing there, it still shouldn't have happened!" McGee jumped when he heard Tony.

"Problem, Tim?" He put on his federal agent face and voice.

Park guy, Rick, tried to appeal to Tony. "Look, we were talking about a girl I'd met a while ago, then bumped into her again tonight. My _Neanderthal_ friends, here, started making fun of her, and she apparently overheard….."

Tony didn't need to hear more. He took the guy by the shirt collar and had him up against the wall with a thud. "What did you say? You were making fun of my gir…sister?"

Rick squirmed, tried to get out of the strong hold Tony had on him. "No, man! Not _me!_ It was the other guys…."

"But I bet you didn't do anything to shut 'em up, did ya'? Just laughed along with the rest of 'em…!"

"Look, I'm sorry….I didn't know she was your sister. I didn't know she was standing there…..dude…. I really _like _her, man! And I _told _the guys to knock it off, seriously! I was working up the nerve to ask her out, man!"

Tony was beginning to believe the guy. But there was no way in hell he'd ever let Mandie date this jerk.

"I'm sorry!" Rick pleaded. "I'm really, really sorry. The scars don't matter to me….Molly does!"

Oh, this just got better and better. He raised the jerk higher up the wall. "Her _name_…is _Mandie_!"

A screech of tires and a scream from outside turned the place silent. McGee gave up reading the idiots the riot act and headed for a window….one of those screams sounded familiar…..

The door to the restaurant flew open, and a panicked Abby, smears of blood on her hands, face, and shirt, raced in. "_TONY_!" she yelled, crying.

Something in the tone of her voice got through the red haze in Tony's mind. Still holding the jerk on the wall, he turned to look at Abby. One look at her face - the tears, the blood, the urgency - and he dropped the jerk and ran for the door. "Where…?"

McGee wrapped an arm around Abby's shoulders, and she continued to cry. "Down…down the block…!" Tony didn't wait for more, just kept running toward the crowd that was gathering a little ways down the street. Ziva and McGee got Abby to sit, gave her a glass of water. "It came out of nowhere! Just …just this screech of tires!….we were on the sidewalk…it..it came right for us! We couldn't get out of the way! Aimed right at us! Hit her! Then he just took off! How could he….she's really hurt! There's blood! So much blood!" Abby held up her hands, as if to give proof that what she was saying was true. "How could someone _do _that? Right up onto the side…sidewalk….tried to get out of the way," she turned pleading eyes to Tim. "Tried, Timmy! But he just…just…just followed…like it was on purpose! Why…..?"

McGee held Abby in a tight hug. "It's ok, Abby, it'll all be ok, I promise…." He turned sad eyes to Ziva. She nodded and stood.

"I will go help Tony." Passing McGee and Abby, Ziva leaned in and said softly, "I shall call Gibbs. I think it is time." McGee just nodded, resting his chin on Abby's head, holding her as she sobbed.

_The Accident Scene…._

Tony pushed his way through the crowd, not caring if he knocked anyone over or stepped on toes. "Federal Agent! Back it up! Everyone out of the way!" He saw a woman kneeling on the ground, hands on the victim trying to stop the bleeding, begging the woman on the ground to hang on. Coming closer, his heart sank as he recognized Mandie's jacket lying next to the victim, soaked in blood. "No. No, no, no," he muttered to himself. It can't be her, it can't be Mandie…

The woman kneeling over the victim looked up and screamed for someone to help her. Tony almost passed out with relief. It was Mandie that was calling desperately for help. He sent up a quick, silent prayer of thanks to whomever it was watching over her. "Mandie!" She looked up at his voice, and his heart broke at the fear in her eyes.

"Tony! Help, please! Annie…..hit her! Bad! Can't stop the bleeding! Help me!" Mandie sobbed.

Tony dropped to the ground next to Mandie, and saw her friend Annie lying there. It wasn't Mandie. He gently nudged Mandie out of the way and took her place. She was right. It was bad. Head injury - those always bled like gangbusters. Broken arm, probably a few broken ribs. Her pelvis was obviously crushed, he could tell by the angle of her hips and legs. Feeling for a pulse, he was slightly surprised to find one. It was weak and thready, but it was there. There was still hope. "C'mon, Annie. Don't do this now," he murmured to the woman. "Mandie doesn't need this right now, you know that. So you hang on, hear me? You hang on!" He didn't dare do too much more than trying to stop the worst of the bleeding - her head. In the background he could hear Mandie crying, begging him to help Annie, to fix it, and he closed his eyes against tears, not sure he do as she wished.

The police and ambulance soon arrived, relieving Tony of his job. He stood and stretched the kinks out as he looked around for Mandie. He saw her sitting on the curb, huddled in a blanket from a police car. She was shaking and crying. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms. She immediately turned her face into his chest and sobbed, and he just held her, crooning meaningless platitudes in her ear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sheriff approaching, and did his best to pull Mandie away from him. "You need to talk to the sheriff, baby…."

Fear flashed in her eyes. "Don't leave me!" She wrapped a fist in his shirt, keeping him with her.

With a nod from the sheriff, Tony pushed her away again. "I'm not going anywhere, ok? I'm right here, I won't leave you. I'm right here…you need to help Annie now, and talk to the police, ok?" He waited until she tearfully nodded, then motioned the sheriff closer.

It was a couple of hours before the police okayed it for Mandie and Abby to leave. Ziva had made her way down to the accident scene, and had done her own questioning of witnesses. It was a very generic description of the driver, other than the fact it was a male, and he was absolutely aiming for the three women walking down the sidewalk. Most specifically, the woman wearing the multi-colored jacket. Mandie's jacket. That Annie had been wearing all evening. Those two things were about all that every witness account had in common. Ziva let Tony know she'd called Gibbs, and he was 'borrowing' the FBI plane to get here ASAP. And it didn't escape her notice that Mandie was never more than a foot away from Tony, reaching out every so often as if to reassure herself he was close by. And Tony was being very possessive of Mandie, pulling her close whenever anyone approached them. Hmmmm….interesting, Ziva thought to herself with a small smile.

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The city of LaPlace was quiet tonight, Mandie thought, looking over it from the balcony. She looked over it to Pontchartrain off in the distance, not getting the usual peace from it that she usually did. She didn't know if she'd ever have that kind of peace again. One of her best friends had been hit by a car tonight. Right in front of her. And Annie may not survive her injuries. The urge to cry swept over her, but no tears would come. Guess she'd cried herself out. Mandie shut her eyes, the accident playing over and over in her mind. The screech of tires, the roar of the approaching engine. The thud of Annie's body as she was hit, then another when she landed, after being thrown by the car. The screams - Abby's, her own. With a moan, she dropped her head to her hands on the railing, crying without tears, dry sobs wracking her body. The clearing of a male throat alerted her to the presence of someone behind her. She tried to quickly compose herself, not wanting anyone to see her like this. Especially not _him_.

Tony cleared his throat to alert Mandie to his presence. He knew that people just appearing behind her freaked her out. His heart broke all over again to see her trying to pretend she wasn't hurting. He walked up and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind. He began to realize that he enjoyed the feel of her in his arms, so he dropped his arms and stepped to her left. He placed his hands on the railing, inhaling a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "Pretty out here." He saw her nod out of the corner his eye. "Can't remember the last time I saw so many stars…probably not since I went to summer camp as a kid." She sniffled. He turned to face her, leaning against the rail. "It's ok to feel the way you do, Manda-Panda."

She'd discovered when he hugged her that Tony wasn't wearing a shirt. When he stepped to the side, she snuck a glance, saw his naked chest, his low-riding blue plaid pajama pants. She shuffled her feet like a little girl, and couldn't look Tony in the eye. "I know," she answered softly. "But I don't _know_ how I feel. I'm worried about Annie. I'm angry at the guy that hit her and just drove away. I'm tired. Tired of bad things happening to the people I love. Tired of being a hermit. Tired of being worried and angry all the time. Tired of people turning away in fear or disgust as soon as they see my scar." She ran her hand over her cheek. "I'm tired…of being _tired_. Not to mention seeing the accident every time I close my eyes. Hearing the sounds just as clear as if it was happening right in front of me again."

Without thinking about what he was doing, Tony reached out and brushed his finger down her cheek. Her scarred cheek. She flinched and turned her head away in embarrassment. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. Not with him. He gently held her chin and turned her back to look at him. "Hey…" he began softly, searching her eyes. Again without thought, Tony leaned down and took her lips in a soft, gentle kiss. When he finally ended the kiss, he could see the confusion - not to mention shock - in her eyes before she turned away. Damn, he hadn't planned on kissing her, didn't know what had come over him. But he was certain that he wasn't sorry. He only hoped Mandie wasn't sorry, either.

Turning away from Tony, Mandie put her fingers to her lips. Tony had _kissed her. _She could still feel his lips on hers. She hadn't been kissed since…well, in three years. He'd kissed her. Tony. And a little part of her wondered why it felt so natural…

Sensing her unease, Tony decided not to push things any further tonight. She'd had an emotionally overloaded day, she didn't need _this _- whatever _this _was - added to her troubled mind. He took her hand and led her inside, to her bedroom door. "Get some sleep," he said quietly, giving her a brotherly kiss on her forehead. He watched her go in, still looking dazed. When her door closed, he turned and went down the hall to his own room.

He'd been lying in bed, not sleeping, mind replaying that kiss on the balcony over and over. Was he crazy? What was he thinking, kissing Mandie like that? She's like a little sister…..no, no, somewhere along the line, the feelings had changed. At least on his part. He hoped he hadn't scared her, hadn't jeopardized their friendship. He heard the floor outside his bedroom door creak, saw a shadow underneath, pacing back and forth. He walked to the door, knowing it was Mandie before he opened it. He'd caught her mid-pace. "Want to stay here tonight?" he asked softly when he saw a lone tear sliding down her cheek. She nodded, and he held out his hand.

What was she doing, Mandie asked herself. She knew she'd never be able to sleep tonight, and the only one who'd ever been able to make it better was Tony. She put her hand trustingly in his, and let him pull her gently into his room and lead her to his bed. She lay down, a little stiffly, until Tony lay down next to her. She turned on her side and cuddled up to his strong, muscled chest, sighing when his arm came around her, holding her close, making her feel safe. He kissed the top of her head, like he always did, and rubbed his cheek against her hair. Not much later, she fell asleep in his warm embrace, feeling comforted and safe. Tony always made her feel that way….

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_**A/N - **_**Well, this was a long one, huh? The things I do for my friend, **_**MANDIELOULUVSEWE, **_**whom this story is about. If you want to read another good story, go check out Mandielou's! Some of my favorites!**

**I'm sorry I kept you up so late, Mandie - I hope that Balcony Scene makes up for any lost sleep….. Sweet Dreams, hun! LOL**

**A/N 2 - Please, please, please review! I put a lot of heart and soul into this chapter, I'd like to know what you think….. And thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 14**

She didn't know where she was going, she was just running - well, with her bad leg, she was half-running. '_Frankenstein_,' '_can't forget a face like that_,' '_Frankenstein, Frankenstein, FrankensteinFrankensteinfran kensteinfrankensteinfrankens tein….._' screech of tires, screams…Annie grabbing her arm to stop her, 'Mandie-Lou, wait!' _Thud!_ Engine accelerating… '_look out!' _….. 'don't listen to them, Mandie, who needs 'em?' so much blood! '_Can't forget a face like that!'_ NO! Annie, no! car speeding away…Annie on the ground….blood….everywhere…it's everywhere! '_Frankenstein, can't forget a face like that!' _On her hands, her clothes…..sticky with blood, tires screeching….Annie in the air…._thud!_ Screams…so loud! Screaming, screaming…Abby, the crowd, everyone screaming….someone help! Help me, someone help! Screams echoing, car accelerating, '_thud_,' '_Frankenstein_,' '_…face like that!_' Help me! 'Mandie!' Car…so close! No! 'Mandie!' _'Semper Fi!'_ The blood…on her face, her hands….flashing knife…..hurts! Help me! Fists hitting….car accelerating…..knife slashing into her leg…._'thud_,' so much screaming! Smell of burning flesh… '_not so pretty anymore…' 'Frankenstein…'_ 'Mandie!' _'supposed to be number ten…' _'Mandie!'… '_gonna' die, bitch!' _screams everywhere, bouncing, echoing…. '_number ten…_' '…_forget a face like that! Frankenstein!'_ She spun in circles, images, sounds bombarding her, reverberating, swelling, growing louder….blood….the pain! Make it stop! She put her hands to her ears, trying to block out the noise, tears streaming down her cheeks, somebody help me! '_crash! Scream! Thudddd! Frankenstein! Number ten…'_ 'Mandie!' Looking at the carnage all around her, she just couldn't take it anymore….she closed her eyes and began to scream…

The thrashing and screaming jolted him awake. "Mandie!" Tony grabbed her arms, stopped them from flailing about. "Mandie!" She was so deep into the nightmare, she couldn't wake up. He pulled her to his side, trapping her arms against his chest. "C'mon, Mandie-Mine, wake up, honey…" With a terrifying scream, Mandie sat up quick, suddenly awake, breathing erratic, trembling. "It's ok, baby, s'ok….s'ok…" Tony drew her head to his shoulder, ran his fingers through her hair, lightly massaging her scalp. The sound of her haunted cries ate at him. She'd been through so much…."Only a dream, baby, only a dream….I'm here, you're ok…." He knew she was coming out of it when he heard her whimpering his name. "Right here, honey….won't let you go…I got ya', Mandie-Mine. Sssshhhhhh…. Ssssssshhhhhh….you're ok….." Tony whispered, hands running through her hair, down her back, warming her shivering body, gently lulling her back to sleep.

She must have forgotten to close the drapes, Mandie thought lazily as she began to wake up. She was so warm, the morning sun must be streaming in. She stretched and tossed the sheet off, snuggling back into her pillow, so comfortable and warm, she hated to get up just yet. A deeply inhaled breath brought a not unfamiliar scent to her brain….with another inhale, she recognized it. Tony. That's right, he'd helped her through her nightmare. The scent reminded her of comfort, of safety, and she sighed, starting to drift back to sleep. An answering soft groan confused her. She scrunched up her face, trying to figure things out without waking up. She felt something tickling her neck and brushed it away….she must have left her hair down last night before going to bed. She snuggled again into the warmth all around her. She didn't remember her bed ever being this cozy before. She could stay here all day! As she dozed she again felt something tickling at her neck, her shoulder….behind her ear. When she raised a hand to swat whatever it was away, she bumped into something solid…something large and warm…her eyes sprang open, afraid at first. Then relieved to find that it was just Tony. _Tony?_ She took in the scene. She wasn't in _her_ bed, she was in _his_. It wasn't the morning sun that was making her feel so warm and cozy - she was plastered flat up against Tony's body, wrapped so that she was totally encased in his warmth. The fingers of one of his hands twisted and played with the ends of her hair, and his nose was nuzzling into her neck…her shoulder…behind her ear. She couldn't help but shiver - in a good way - at the feeling. She gasped…was that….did she just feel _lips_ - soft, gentle, wet lips - on her neck? Lips…kisses….kissing….she stiffened. Oh. My. God. Tony kissed her last night! He kissed _her_! Trying to keep her panic under control, she managed to wriggle out of Tony's arms and out of the bed. At the door, she stopped to look back at the bed, relieved to see that Tony hadn't moved, he was still asleep on his side, arms curled around a pillow now instead of her. She had to force herself to turn and leave before she went back to join him in bed again, silently closing the door behind her.

When he heard the door shut with a soft snick, Tony rolled over onto his back. He'd woken up about the same point she had, right about when she flipped the sheet off of them. He certainly wasn't a stranger to waking with a woman in his bed, but it was different with Mandie. He couldn't help playing with her hair - it was so soft and silky, smelled so good. Her skin - so smooth and soft. Her scent - intoxicating. Cinnamon and vanilla. Just thinking about it made his mouth water. But he knew she wasn't ready to hear these things yet, hell, she was still a little freaked over last night's kiss. Tony smiled, remembering it. He'd gotten up the nerve to kiss her. It had been sweet, her lips addicting. But she didn't think any guy in his right mind would want her. She was _so_ wrong. He wanted her like mad! He'd tread slowly and carefully, take his cues from her. He would wait as long as it took - his girl was worth it, he thought with a smile, rolling back over. He snuggled the pillow she'd used under his head, her scent surrounding him, and he fell back to sleep with a smile on his face.

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Mandie pulled her hair into a wet pony tail as she went downstairs to find something to eat after her shower. Her leg was still a little sore after last night, so she had it propped up on a chair as she ate some left-over, cold pizza.

"Now I _know_ DiNozzo's been down here too long - you're starting to eat like him."

Mandie jumped at the unexpected voice, then grinned from ear to ear. "Gibbs!"

Gibbs smiled and waved her back to her seat, leaning over and grabbing her up in a giant hug.

"What are you doing here?" She clung to his neck.

"What, you think the team are the only ones that miss you?" Gibbs kissed the top of her head, then sat next to her with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Your cousin makes good coffee." He'd come into Louis Armstrong International at 2 AM, and now at eight o'clock, he still hadn't been to bed. He'd been making plans, checking out the house. There'd been noises from Dinozzo's room as he was checking on his team, he couldn't believe that DiNozzo would do that in a guest's house like that. He'd give him the head slap of a lifetime. It burned a hole in his gut when he looked in on Mandie, and she wasn't in her room. He'd stormed down to Tony's room. He didn't care if DiNozzo _was_ the best young agent he'd ever worked with, he'd _kill _him for taking advantage of Mandie this way. Before he threw open the door, he heard a scream, then some crying….that wasn't a scream of sexual pleasure, that was a terrified scream. Gibbs then heard Tony, softly consoling, murmuring platitudes, telling Mandie it was just a dream. Although he questioned why Mandie was in Tony's room in the first place, he knew she was in good hands with DiNozzo, and his urge to eviscerate Tony disappeared. "Leg bothering you today?"

Mandie shrugged. She was sure _someone_ had told the man what happened, but she wasn't going to go over it again. "Yeah. Overdid it yesterday."

"Well, take it easy today, ok?" She nodded silently as Gibbs finished his coffee, watching her. "Your friend is still critical, but stable."

"How did you know…?" Mandie's head shot up to look at Gibbs. At his raised eyebrow she snorted. "Of course you know. You're Gibbs, you know everything."

His eyes crinkled and he winked at her. "Not _everything_," he joked. "But close."

Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of Abby, who came flying around the corner to the kitchen at full speed. "Gibbs! GibbsGibbsGibbsGibbs!" She threw her arms around the older man's neck and held on and squeezed. It was only a few seconds until Gibbs was begging her for air. "When did you get here? How long are you staying? You're staying here, right? Cuz we've got plenty of room, and Emily won't mind, she loves company. Oh! Wait til you meet some of our friends - we've told them all about you, and they can't wait to meet you. Except for Annie, she's in the hospital…did you hear about last night, Gibbs? It was so scary….."

Mandie snuck out during Abby's inquisition of Gibbs. She walked up the stairs, heading toward her room. As she rounded the corner at the top, she bumped right into Tony. "Whoa!"

Instinctively, Tony's hands went to Mandie's shoulders to steady her. Was it her imagination, or did they linger a little longer than necessary? And his thumbs were definitely drawing lazy circles on her upper arms…. "S-sorry," she mumbled, lowering her eyes.

"I'm not," Tony murmured in a husky voice.

"Uh, G-Gibbs is here," she stammered. "You may want to go rescue him from Abby."

Tony smirked, doing his best to keep his eyes on her face, settling for staring at her lips. "He's a trained investigator, former marine sniper…he can handle one little Abby by himself." Mandie blushed and ducked her eyes again, obviously nervous, so Tony decided to go easy on her. This time. "But it _has _been a while since she's seen him. I suppose I could go place myself in the line of fire."

"O-okay. You may need to do some CPR, though - I don't think she's released his neck yet," Mandie giggled.

Tony shuddered dramatically. "Not exactly who I want to be kissing first thing in the morning, but….the price I pay for being Gibbs' SFA."

Mandie sucked in a breath, shocked. "Y-yeah," she giggled nervously.

"See you later?" Tony asked, running the back of a finger down her cheek tenderly.

She gulped. "Uh…. Uh-huh," she stammered breathily, watching as Tony headed down the stairs after giving her a small smile. When he was out of sight, Mandie leaned against the wall. "Ohhhh boy," she groaned, her head thunking against the wall.

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A few hours later, everyone had piled into the rental SUV and headed for the hospital to visit Annie. Well, everyone except Tony and Gibbs. As soon as the rest were all out the door and on their way, Gibbs turned to Tony. "Sitrep." The two men were seated in the parlor with mugs of coffee, while Tony updated Gibbs on the goings on around Mandie lately.

"Just got the lab report back on the machinery that fell. It all points to that accident _not_ being an accident. Mandie says that that particular piece of machinery acts up regularly, but with the vital pieces that were missing…it was definitely sabotaged. If her co-worker, Bill, hadn't have been there….." Tony swallowed heavily, not wanting to even _think _about that possibility.

Gibbs covertly eyed his SFA. There was something going on, here… he'd keep an eye on the situation. "And last night?"

"Mandie had been hiding in her room since the thing at work. Ziva finally managed to get her to come out with us. We were out at this Italian place….seafood ravioli to _die for_, boss…." Seeing the perturbed look on Gibbs' face, Tony continued, "anyway, Mandie met up with some guy. Apparently she'd met him before, but he'd taken off when he saw the scar on her cheek. So he starts talking with her at the restaurant. Coming back from the ladies' room, she overheard this jerk and his buddies talking about her….one of them called her…" God, he hated having to repeat this. "…called her…_Frankenstein_. And someone else said something about not forgetting a face like hers….." Tony saw Gibbs clench his fists. "S'ok, boss. McGee and I took care of it. Anyway, Mandie overheard all that stuff and took off running. Abby and Annie took off after her. Next thing I know, there's tires squealing, lots of screams, then Abby runs in screaming…." He felt tears in his eyes when he looked up at his mentor. "Was so sure it was _her_, boss…." He gulped and swallowed. "I took off down the block, came upon the scene…Mandie's jacket, just soaked in blood, lying on the ground….but then the person with the vic screamed for help, and it was Mandie. Dragged her away, did my best to stop the bleeding. Police interviewed Mandie and witnesses at the scene, and Ziva did, as well. All accounts say pretty much the same thing. Car came out of nowhere. Accelerated as it neared the three women. Aimed right for them….particularly the one in Mandie's jacket…went right up on the sidewalk, hit Annie, and sped off."

Gibbs thought for a minute. "Any description on the car? License plate? Anyone ID the driver?" He growled when Tony shook his head to all three questions. "So we have nothing. No way to link this to Greene."

Tony watched Gibbs pace. "Gotta' admit. It's an awful lot of coincidence, all this stuff happening after Greene escapes."

"You know how I feel about coincidences, DiNozzo," Gibbs muttered angrily.

"Yeah," Tony answered seriously. "I don't believe in them, either."

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Mandie had been upset when the foursome returned from the hospital. It was as Gibbs had said - Annie was still in critical condition. There had been a lot of internal bleeding to stop, and lots of other things that still needed fixing, not to mention, she was still unconscious, which was a good thing, according to the doctors. She wasn't feeling the pain. Much to Tony's chagrin, Mandie had turned to Gibbs for comforting when she got home instead of him. He'd never imagined that _Gibbs_ would ever be cramping his style!

_**A Few Days Later…**_

It had been a very emotional couple of days. Annie was still in critical condition, but hadn't gotten any worse, so the doctors were being hesitantly optimistic. Seeing her friend in such a condition brought back some bad memories of her own time in the hospital for Mandie. She felt she was doubly upset, because she could feel Annie's pain, and because she was sad to see her friend like this.

Things between Mandie and Tony had been kind of awkward in the past few days. Mandie still occasionally went to him for comforting, but after a few minutes, it would start to feel weird, so she'd hunt down Gibbs. Tony took every opportunity to brush up against her, touch her….Mandie secretly liked it, but was afraid of it at the same time. He was a good friend…like a brother….no, she head slapped herself. He hadn't felt like a brother in a long time. But this was _Tony_. How could he make her stomach feel like butterflies were flying around in it?

Tony all but bounced into the parlor where McGee and Mandie were playing Scrabble, and Ziva was watching TV. "Scrabble? And the History Channel?" He shook his head. "What is this, a nursing home? C'mon, we all need to get out of here for a while." Everyone grumbled and muttered. No one wanted to do anything. "C'mon….let's go to a movie. My treat." The three friends looked at each other - Tony offering to pay? They were all thinking of agreeing. "But of course, my treat, _I _get to pick the movie."

Everyone rolled their eyes. "Ok, Tony, I'll bite. What did you have in mind?" asked McGee.

Tony smiled, glad to have made a conquest. "The new Bond movie - Skyfall!"

"Shoulda' guessed," grimaced McGee. "But….I've already lost one game to Mandie. Might as well save myself the embarrassment of another loss. Ok, Tony. I'm in."

"Yes!" Tony gloated. "How 'bout it, ladies? A little Bond to put the excitement back in your lives?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Ziva and Mandie traded looks. Neither particularly wanted to see that movie, but Mandie _did _want to get out of the house for a while. She guessed she could put up with a 12 year old Tony in a Bond movie. "Yeah, ok, I'm in, too. But only if you throw in a tub of popcorn."

Tony smiled. "One twenty dollar bucket of popcorn, coming up!"

"_With_ extra butter," Mandie ordered, standing.

"Extra butter flavored grease, got it! I'll even toss in a large soda, how's that?"

Laughing, Mandie turned to Ziva. "You should come! Tony's sparing no expense!"

Ziva thought for a moment. She'd noticed little things between Tony and Mandie all week…little touches, Mandie's shyness, Tony's staring….. "No," she decided. "I have some work to catch up on. Maybe another time, yes?"

"Ok, but don't be jealous when we come back and tell you all about it!" Crowed Tony.

Thinking quickly, Ziva called to McGee. "McGee, I could really use your help. My laptop has been acting like it's sick…."

"You mean, like it has a virus," Tim corrected. "Since when? It was fine when you were using it this morning."

Ziva panicked. "Uh, it just happened. A little while ago, I mean, and I do not want to try and de-virus it myself. I'd rather have an expert fix it for me."

Tim was torn. He wanted to help Ziva, but he also wanted to get out of the house. "Use mine, then, and I'll fix yours when I get back." He made to walk out of the room, until Ziva ran up and grabbed his arm. The others all looked strangely at her.

"No!" Seeing the looks she was getting Ziva continued, "no, I would like to work on some case files, but I do not want to spread the virus to the NCIS computers. Gibbs would not be very happy with me if that happened. Please, McGee? And I will take you to a movie another time - a movie of your _own_ choosing," she tossed in a final dig at Tony, who just scrunched up his face at her.

McGee sighed. "Fine. I'm sure we'll get a total re-creation of the movie from Tony when they get back, anyway, so I won't really miss anything."

Tony turned to Mandie. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid. You ok with that?"

Shrugging, Mandie said it was fine with her, and the two of them left the house. Watching them out the window, Ziva smiled.

"Ok, Ziva, get your laptop, and I'll get started."

"That's ok, McGee," Ziva said, still smiling out the window. "I have changed my mind. I think I shall finish watching that documentary on The History Channel. Thank you anyway, though." She walked back to the couch and turned the TV on again with an air of satisfaction.

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_**LaPlace, Louisiana**_

_**Cinaplex 20**_

_**Theater 12**_

_**8:10 Showing of **__**Skyfall**_

As they pulled into a parking spot, Mandie took the scrunchie holding her hair back out, letting her hair fall gently around her face. Turning to look at her, Tony lightly chastised her. "Uh-uh-uh. Put it back." She gave him an "are you _crazy_?" look. "Not that I don't like the long hair - I do, very pretty - but I want to walk in there with my best friend, not that person hiding behind the hair." Seeing she looked ready to cry, Tony tucked her hair behind her left ear and lightly traced her scar with his finger. "Ticket line, popcorn, then dark theater. I'm right next to you the entire time." She played with her scrunchie while she contemplated. "C'mon, Manda-Panda. Just try it. If it's bad, you can just take it out again, and I'll owe you one."

Mandie didn't want to do it, but…. Tony had never asked anything of her. He always gave. And tying her hair back was such a small thing….. "You'll get me a peanut butter cup, too, along with the popcorn?" she asked nervously.

Tony cupped the back of her head. "Twizzlers too, if you want." He wanted to cheer when Mandie reluctantly pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail.

"Whoa," she said. "Let's not go crazy, here. Peanut butter cups will be enough." She waited 'til Tony walked around and opened her door for her. As they got closer and closer to the entrance, her grip on his hand got tighter and tighter, so to save the circulation in his hand, Tony instead draped his arm across her shoulder, and she snuggled in, their hips bumping as they walked. She was so tuned into that feeling, that she never even noticed if anyone was staring

.

Tony carried the drinks while Mandie carried the five-pound tub of popcorn, with lots of extra movie theater butter. Mandie started down the aisle to the front when Tony called to her. "Where ya' going?"

Stepping aside so another couple could get by, Mandie said, "I thought you'd want to sit down front, so you didn't miss anything."

"Nah, c'mon," he jerked his head up toward the balcony, then led the way when she caught up to him, taking them to the last row. He sat with a contented sigh.

Mandie looked around. "You're kidding, right?"

"What?" Tony asked innocently.

She gave him her best Gibbs Glare. "_You_…want to sit _way up here_…in a James Bond movie? _Really?_"

He shrugged. "I'll get to see more from back here. With surround-sound, the sound is actually better way back here. It'll be just like being in the middle of the gun fight!"

"Oh joy," Mandie said sarcastically, sitting down next to him. "This isn't some kind of joke, is it? You're not going to decide after the coming attractions that you want to sit way down there, are you?"

Tony pretended to look hurt. "I'm hurt, you'd think I'd do that." Seeing the look she gave him, he sighed and held up a hand. "Scout's honor, I will _not_ change my mind."

Mandie stared at him skeptically. "I don't think you were ever really a scout."

"Well, ok, _no_," he said, "but I dated a girl scout once….._hey_!" Tony yelled when he was pelted with a handful of popcorn. "I paid good money for that, don't be wasting it on a food fight. Besides," he said scooping up a couple of pieces of the corn and flipping them into his mouth, "Ju-Ju-Bees are so much better for that. They've got a little weight to them, not to mention the stickiness factor." He saw Mandie staring at him. "What?"

Mandie shook her head. "That you've actually done research on that…."

The entertainment trivia came on, and Mandie scrunched down in her seat and got comfortable. Tony was so busy answering the questions and crowing over his correctness, it was like she wasn't even here. Just like usual, she thought with a sigh, happy this hadn't changed. The lights dimmed, the trivia went away, and the coming attractions began. She'd forgotten how loud Tony can be at the movies. Cheering, yelling out his disbelief ("Oh come _on! _Do they really think people will go see that?" "Ugh! I _hate_ that guy! He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag!"). The third time someone turned around to look at them, Mandie stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth before he could say any more, then wiped her greasy fingers on his shirt. With a glower at her, he took the hint and toned his enthusiasm down. A little.

_**NCIS`*~*SCARS~*~*NCIS`*~*SCARS~*~*NCIS**_

They were about fifteen minutes into the movie when Tony's arm came across the back of the seat and hung over her shoulder. Mandie startled at first, immediately sorry when Tony removed his arm. A few minutes later, their fingers met in the popcorn tub. Tony's fingers brushed hers gently, tangled with hers, then were gone. A few minutes later, the arm came over the shoulder again, and this time, she didn't flinch. After a moment or two, Mandie gave in and rested her head on Tony's shoulder.

Stretching his arm out, Tony draped it over her shoulder. It wasn't until he felt a jump that he realized who he was with. Putting his arm over a woman's shoulder was just something he did automatically. He forgot he'd have to take this slowly. Seeing her reaching into the popcorn bucket, he dropped his hand in, letting his fingers graze hers ever so lightly. When she didn't startle at that, he slowly brought his arm back over her shoulder. He sighed in relief when she didn't flinch. His heart raced when Mandie's head rested on his shoulder. Another minute passed, then, out of habit, his fingers began playing with the loose strands of hair at her nape, occasionally brushing her neck. He felt a shiver, but knew it wasn't out of fear.

Feeling gentle brushes against her neck, Mandie sighed softly, getting more comfortable against Tony's shoulder. Those fingers were driving her crazy! Then she felt a soft kiss on the top of her head, and all her apprehension slipped away. This was _Tony_. She knew instinctively he would rip his own arms off before he'd hurt her. Feeling daring, when she felt him reaching into the tub for more popcorn, she entwined her fingers with his, essentially holding his hand. Ok, so it was in a bucket of popcorn, it wasn't perfect. But she got a boost when his fingers gave hers a little squeeze. She could feel his gaze on her, but was too chicken to return it just yet.

Emboldened by Mandie taking his hand, Tony dropped his head and nuzzled at her ear and neck. She always smelled so good - like vanilla and cinnamon. He pressed a small kiss to her temple, encouraged when Mandie leaned into it. Damn, he felt like he was sixteen again. Mandie pulled their hands out of the bucket, and he began to pull his hand away, but she stopped him with a small squeeze, and pulled the back of his hand to her mouth, pressing a soft whisper of a kiss on it, almost like she was afraid he'd reject it. That couldn't be further from the truth, and he nuzzled her ear again, laying a kiss just as soft on the sensitive area just behind her ear. Tony felt more than heard her breath hitch. His own breath hitched when he felt her nuzzling his fingers, and he swore he _stopped_ breathing when she took one of his fingers gently into her mouth, her tongue sweeping over and around, lightly sucking. He did his best to will his sudden erection away, for all the good it did. He couldn't take it anymore. He removed his hand from behind her head and placed it on her jaw, tenderly tilting her chin up, then slowly pulled his finger out of her mouth. "You're driving me crazy," he whispered roughly.

Mandie smiled shyly. "What can I say? I really like that movie butter." She saw his intent in his eyes and let him tilt her chin up a little more. Her eyes drifted closed when he softly kissed her lips. She was a little embarrassed, knowing she wasn't very good at kissing - it had been at least three years since she'd last kissed a guy. She ducked her head bashfully when he lifted his head. "I…I'm sorry….I'm not….very good at this…."

"At what?" Tony murmured huskily, fingers tracing her earlobes, stroking her jaw.

"_You_ know," she mumbled, feeling timid all of a sudden. "This whole…kissing thing. I haven't…not since…." Mandie shrugged uneasily, afraid bringing _it_ up would put a damper on the whole thing.

When Tony realized what she was saying, he was humbled. That she trusted _him _enough…that he was her first since her attack…. "Are you ok…with this? I don't want to…" the rest of his thought was cut off by Mandie dragging his lips back down onto hers.

_**Three Hours Later….**_

Tony nuzzled her ear and whispered something into it, tickling her at the same time, making Mandie giggle. He laughed, happy to see her so happy and carefree. He never in a million years thought he'd be making out like a teenager with Mandie, of all people, but he was _very _happy he was! She was presently curled up against him, as close as the arm of the chair would allow, but what _really_ stunned him was that she had one leg crossed over his, which put her in the perfect position for him to lay a hand on her beautiful, heart-shaped ass.

Mandie ran her fingers through Tony's hair and sighed when his lips grazed her neck. To cover up his laugh, she quickly put her mouth to his, luxuriating in the taste and feel of him.

"Ah-_hem_!" A voice from out of nowhere startled them both, and they separated enough to look up and see an usher, who was probably all of seventeen, standing over them. It also sank in that the house lights were up. "Aren't you two a little _old_ to be making out in the movies?"

Mandie and Tony looked at each other. Tony was worried this would send her back into her shell. "If you do it right….you're _never_ too old, kid," Tony said, grabbing Mandie's hand and pulling her up behind him and down the stairs.

The teenaged usher shook his head watching them go, then looked into their row - popcorn everywhere, a spilled soda running down the floor, and a smushed peanut butter cup on the seat. Ma-a-a-a-aaaannnn, he was going to have to clean all this up. "Damned old people," he muttered, heading off to get the dustpan and brush. "Don't know how to behave in a movie theater."

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_**A/N**_**- A special very belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my girl MANDIELOU of Mandielouluvsewe fame. It was pointed out to me in a review of one of my other stories that I neglected to even wish her a Happy Birthday, so I thought I'd give her a VERY **_**SPECIAL **_**chapter of my story about HER. I know it was a happy one, Mandie, and I'm sorry I neglected to even say it here, but I hope this chapter makes up for that. Ya' know I love ya!**

**A/N 2 Yes, it's the SHAMELESS BEGGING FOR REVIEWS portion of our story. PLEASE Review! You'll truly make my day, I promise you! Big thanks to all who've reviewed, favorited, and alerted in the past - PLEASE continue to do so! THANK YOU!**


	15. Chapter 15

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 15**

The ride home from the move theater was a quiet one. Usually, after a movie with the group, they would have gone out for ice cream or coffee, but Tony didn't think Mandie would want to. She was so quiet. Was she regretting what had happened? He honestly hadn't planned it, except for wanting to sit in back for the Surround-Sound experience. It just kind of…happened. One minute, they were sitting comfortably, like friends. The next - full-on make-out session. _Hot_ full-on make-out session. _Sweet_ full-on make-out session. Now there's a combination he never thought would go together - hot and sweet make-out session. But then, it's never been _Mandie_ before. That he was her first… _anything… _since… (don't go there, DiNozzo!)…he was both honored and scared. Honored that she would trust him enough. Scared that he'd trigger some hang ups, some fears. Stuff that he'd have to watch for. And he'd kill himself if he ever scared or hurt her. That is, if there was anything left of him after Gibbs and Abby got done filleting him alive.

He glanced over at Mandie, who was still staring out the window, like she'd been doing since they'd left the theater. He couldn't read her mood. At least she wasn't crying. He never knew what to do with a crying woman. She didn't appear angry. Or afraid. Hesitant, maybe?

She'd been hesitant when they'd kissed. Even apologized for not being good at it. Hell, if she'd been any better, he'd have embarrassed not only himself but the DiNozzo name as well. Just thinking about it, he knew he'd have to give himself a hand in the shower to calm things down. He'd never been the kind of guy that got off on virgins or inexperienced girls. He liked women who knew the score, who wouldn't expect more from him when it was said and done. So he was confused about his feelings for Mandie. Why was he so drawn to her? Despite what had happened to her, she was still as innocent as a baby bunny, and about as fragile, too. He wasn't looking to take advantage of that innocence or inexperience….some part of him wanted to nurture them. But another part of him wanted her. Wanted to hold her. Make love to her…._love_ her. Wrap her in the softest cotton, hold her in his arms, and protect her from the Big, Bad World. But would she - _could_ she? - take that giant step with _him_? He glanced at her once more as they turned onto their street. Mandie's lips were still slightly swollen from their kisses, her hair softly tousled. Beautiful. He sighed as they pulled up to the house.

Gibbs was going to kill him.

_**Mandy's POV**_

Mandie looked out the car window without really seeing anything. Her mind was back in the movie theater. With Tony. In the balcony. With Tony. Fooling around. With Tony. OMG, they'd missed the _entire_ movie because they were fooling around. They never knew the houselights had come back up. The usher - a _kid_, for God's sake! - had had to interrupt them to kick them out. Oh Lord! She'd been all but lying in Tony's lap! She felt her cheeks flame red in embarrassment. What must Tony think? Then she remembered his words to the usher- '_if you do it right…you're __**never **__too old, kid.' _Was that a good thing? It was a good thing, right? I mean, what else could it mean?

Usually after an outing of their little group, they'd go out for coffee or whatever, but Mandie had a feeling that that wasn't going to happen tonight. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. One the one hand, she was so mixed up inside, she just wanted to go home and soak in a hot bubble bath to think things over. On the other…..she didn't want this time with Tony to end. He'd been so….she didn't want to say 'sweet,' but it fit. He'd been so gentle with her, backing off when she'd gotten a little nervous, not complaining about it. She hadn't laughed so freely in she didn't know _how _long - she'd always been wary of attracting attention to herself because of her scars. And she'd _never_ - not even before - made out in the balcony (or any other part) of a movie theater. Untucked from its' scrunchie, a stray wisp of hair brushed against her scarred cheek, bringing with it all those doubts again. Tony was one of the "Beautiful People," there was no way she and he….. Someone like Tony could have any woman he wanted, why would he want someone damaged like her? She could just imagine conversations - both women and men asking him why on earth he was with _her, _and he'd say 'someone has to,' or maybe even 'we had one date, she thought it meant more…I felt sorry for her, so now I'm stuck with her.'

Yeah, she thought with a sigh. That had to be it, he felt sorry for her. That was the kind of guy Tony was - knowing she'd never have a boyfriend again, he was sacrificing himself to give her one. Once the group went back to D.C., she'd never hear from him again except for maybe Christmas and birthday cards. Tony was kind like that.

What was she doing, she gave herself a mental Gibbs Slap. Her therapist had warned her about her fatalistic attitude, automatically thinking the worst about people in general, not just men. But the woman couldn't argue with all the examples Mandie had given her about people's reaction to her scars. The therapist had then tried to convince her that intimate relationships weren't all they were made out to be. Says the woman who's probably had several relationships and didn't have horrible reminders of being tortured all over her body. Mandie knew that love and sex wasn't always a bed of roses, she wasn't that starry-eyed. But at this point, she'd take what she could get and be thrilled.

Mandie jolted back to reality when she realized they'd arrived back at Emily's house. She waited as Tony came around to open the door for her, reaching a hand in to help her out. Standing, she looked up into Tony's eyes and saw the same questions in his eyes that she was sure were in hers. Whoa. The former Sex Machine of Ohio State was having doubts? Mandie could see that his doubts weren't about being seen with Frankenstein. As he took a step closer to her, she could see that he was worried - for _her_. Not sure what to say, Mandie just walked around him and into the house.

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"You survived!"

Mandie jumped in surprise, turning to see McGee on the couch with his laptop. "Huh?"

McGee smiled. "You survived a Bond movie with Tony!"

Seeing Gibbs and Ziva having coffee at the dining table, Mandie shrugged. "Uh, yeah, I guess." She shivered when Tony came in behind her and stepped up close, hoping none of the friends saw it, with a wince.

Gibbs was studying her. "Go grab a cup, come join us." He was mildly surprised when Mandie agreed. She had that 'deer in the headlights' look…but there was a hint of something else there, too. Master Interrogator that he was, he'd find out what was going on with his girl.

Tony followed Mandie slowly into the kitchen and returned with his coffee, going to sit in front of the TV, one ear on the conversation behind him.

"Well?"

Tony turned to McGee. "Well, what?"

McGee smiled. "I'm waiting."

For what?"

"You're playing with me, aren't you? Waiting to start acting out the movie when I least expect it."

"If you just told me that I'd do it when you least expect it, aren't you really expecting it?" Tony shot back, hoping to confuse. He'd just heard Ziva ask Mandie about the movie. A moment later, Mandie was trying to act like she wasn't hurrying out of the room.

"Going to bed, too much movie candy," she mumbled, headed for the stairs.

As Tony was getting up to follow, McGee pressed. "C'mon, man, just get it over with. Tell me about the movie."

Tony stopped at the doorway. "Guns, gadgets, girls. Seen one Bond movie, seen 'em all. Night, guys." He jogged up the stairs.

McGee, Ziva and Gibbs were all staring after Tony. "Did…did he just say…..'seen one Bond movie, seen 'em all'?" asked Tim, dazed.

Ziva had a secret little smile on her face, pleased with the developments. "Yes," she mused, "yes, he did."

Tim was still dazed. "I think we need to check his room for pods." He saw Gibbs give him a strange look. "You know, like the movie, The Pod People? They're like clones, only nothing like the person they've cloned. I think the Tony that just walked through here is a pod person. The _real _Tony would have acted out the entire movie - including the coming attractions - for us. So this has got to be a Pod Tony, or something, boss."

Gibbs stared after Tony. "Or something," he muttered softly. As ridiculous as it sounded, McGee was right. A 'normal' Tony wouldn't have been able to shut up about the stupid movie - not until Gibbs threatened him with bodily harm if he didn't shut up. Something was up with the younger man. He'd have to keep an eye on him.

_**NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS~*~SCARS~*~NCIS**_

Mandie was just coming out of the bathroom when Tony reached the top of the stairs. She stopped, and he walked up next to her, assessing eyes looking her over, making sure there was nothing wrong. "Hey…"

Leaning back against the wall, hands behind her to keep herself from reaching out for him, Mandie returned the greeting. "Hey."

"You ok?" he asked, concerned, only mildly relieved when she just nodded. "Look, I'm…"

"I'm so…"

They both gave a little laugh that they'd started talking at the same time. "You first," Tony smiled down at her.

Gah!, Mandie thought. That shy smile of his just knocked everything she was going to say right out of her head. "Um…I….uh…." She fidgeted. How was she supposed to put together a coherent sentence when he was this close to her? "Um….that's ok. You're the guest, you go first."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You sure?" When she nodded, he continued, but he had to look down at his feet. He didn't think he could do this looking at her - her gorgeous eyes would distract him. "Ok. I, uh, just wanted to tell you that… I had a really good time tonight. I really did," he assured earnestly. "But I want….need to apologize….."

So busy looking at his shoes, Tony didn't see Mandie's face crumple and fall. He was _sorry_? She'd been right. Screw her therapist! He was sorry he'd done it because she was ugly, not good enough for him. She had to get out of there. She refused to let him see her cry. Straightening her shoulders, she pushed off the wall and elbowed past Tony, determined to be behind closed doors before she gave in to the tears. She was only a few feet from the safety of her bedroom when he caught up with her, stopping her with a hand around her arm. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go. She was only seconds away from bursting into tears…she _had_ to get away!

Tony had caught only a brief glimpse of Mandie's face as she shoved her way past, but he knew that look. He'd seen it plenty of times before, when he'd held her as she cried after someone had inadvertently hurt her over her scars. Why would she….he thought about what he'd just said to her, and wanted to head slap himself, but he didn't have time. If she got behind that bedroom door, she'd most likely never come out again if he was still around. He turned and jogged, caught up with her mere feet away from her room. "Mandie…Mandie-Mine, baby, no…" He grabbed her by the upper arm and turned her to face him. "It's not what you think, Mandie, it's not like that." He saw the first tear fall, saw her chest heave. Letting go of her arm, he cupped her face with both hands. "Mandie-Mine, please…listen to me…it's _not _what you think….." He spoke fast because she was gasping for air through her tears. "I didn't mean….I'm not sorry about….I'm not good with words, but…..I _meant_ that I'm sorry if I hurt you. Or scared you. I never want to do that….I know you haven't ….since….and I was afraid I'd scared you, that I was moving too fast for you….." He noticed she'd stopped struggling so hard to get away and appeared to be listening. "I'm so, so sorry, Mandie-Mine, if I scared you." He looked into her eyes, his honesty shining in his. "But I am _not _sorry about what happened. Tonight was one of the best nights of my life…because of _you_. Holding you…feeling you pressed against me….kissing you…..if I hurt you, scared you, I am so, so sorry….but I won't be sorry for what we did. I liked it far too much to regret any of it. Well, except for that kid interrupting us….." Tony stepped in closer, body only a hair's breadth away from hers. "I would have happily sat there with you like that all night…"

Trying to get her breathing under control, Mandie thought she must be oxygen-deprived. Tony was saying he _wasn't _sorry about what happened at the movies? She took some deep breaths, let him touch her face with both hands. When she could finally breathe almost normally again, she really listened to what he was saying. Not sorry for kissing her….sorry for….scaring her? She brought her hands up and held his wrists, shaking her head. "No, _I'm _sorry, Tony….I… I was a little scared…in the beginning. But…but I _liked_ what we did….I'm just sorry it wasn't good for you, I wish I had more experience…."

Tony put a finger on her lips to stop her from talking, then brushed a stray tear off her cheek softly. "I'm glad you liked it….I did, too. And it _was _good for me…." His eyes dropped to her lips, remembering their feel and taste. "It was beautiful…._you_ were beautiful." He ran his thumb over her bottom lip. "So sweet….so hot…." Seeing the look in her eyes, he said, "Yes, I mean it. Mandie….I don't know…..what we have….it's good. So good. And….I'd…like to see where it leads us."

"Really?" she asked shyly. At his nod, she sighed and sniffled. "M-me, too….." She looked at his lips, imagining them on hers again. "If…if you're _sure…."_

With a small smile, Tony pulled her closer, leaned down and gave her a soft, feather light kiss. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he murmured, lowering his head to show her just how sure he was with his lips. The sound of people talking at the foot of the stairs had Mandie struggling gently to get away. As the first foot fell on the bottom stair, Tony released her mouth and kissed her softly on the forehead. Hand at her back, he walked her to her room. They stood in the doorway for a minute, giving the impression they were talking as McGee topped the stairs and headed for his room without ever seeing them. Before anyone else could come up and disturb them, Tony tilted her chin up with his thumb.

Mandie just about went weak in the knees when Tony tilted up her chin so gently and gave her The Look. She'd seen him use that squinty-eyed, smoldering look on women he was intent on seducing. And here he was, using it _on her_! His eyes roamed her face, like he was memorizing it. She tried turning to the left, to hide her scarred side, like she always did, but Tony wasn't having it. He tenderly turned her back to face him full on and brushed a kiss right on her scar. He nuzzled noses with her, teasing little kisses on her lips. Pulling back, he looked her deep in the eye.

Looking Mandie deep in the eyes, Tony promised, "_never_, Mandie-Mine." One last, soft kiss, and he bade her goodnight, his voice deep and rough with emotion. She smiled shyly, said goodnight, and shut the door. Taking a few steps down the hall to his room, Tony couldn't help the silent fist pump in celebration.

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_**A/N - **_**(**_**DREAMY SIGH!)**_** HOW SAD IS IT WHEN YOU'RE ENVIOUS OF YOUR FICTIONAL CHARACTERS? FOR MY BESTIE, MANDIELOULUVSEWE, WITHOUT WHOM THIS CHAPTER WOULDN'T EXIST. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP! AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO'S TAKEN THE TIME TO REVIEW AND ALERT AND FAVORITE, ETC. - IT'S MUCH APPRECIATED, I ASSURE YOU!**

**A/N 2 - GO READ MANDIELOULUVSEWE'S STORIES! TONY DOESN'T GET ANY HOTTER THAN IN HER STORIES. SHE'S CURRENLTY WRITING A FIC ABOUT YOURS TRULY. IF YOU ALL GO AND READ AND REVIEW, MAYBE WE'LL GET MORE CHAPTERS QUICKER! THANKS! LOL**

**A/N 3 - INSERT SHAMELESS BEGGING FOR REVIEWS HERE! THANKS!**


	16. Chapter 16

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 16**

Coming around the corner from the stairs, Tony heard the front door slam, and looked out the window. Mandie was making her way toward the front gate. Alone. He grabbed his coat and went running after her. He'd chew out the idiot that let her leave by herself when they came back. Besides, here was the perfect opportunity for them to be alone. _Alone_, alone. No one from the team to butt in. Tony caught up with her at the corner. "Where we going?"

Mandie gave a little startled squeal and jumped as familiar arms came around her from behind to steady her. She jabbed an elbow into the gut directly in back of her - not hard, just enough to get a 'woof' out of the man. "Tony!" She turned and slapped his chest. "You scared me to death!"

Laughing, Tony ducked her playful swats. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry! Still doesn't tell me where we're going."

Rolling her eyes, Mandie said, "I don't know about _you_, but _I_ am going to the drugstore down the block."

"Well, wither thou goest…" He picked up her hand and fell in step with her. Tony saw her roll her eyes. "Ok, so I wanted the chance to be alone with you," he admitted petulantly.

Mandie laughed and bumped shoulders with him as they walked. "I admire your honesty!"

Tony's smile dropped for a second as he felt guilty about keeping Greene being after her again a secret, but it spread wide again before Mandie ever noticed. "That's me, Honest Abe."

"Right," she smiled. "And I'm Sophia Loren," she half-joked, jerking to a halt when Tony stopped dead still holding her hand. He slowly reeled her in closer to him. Mandie stopped giggling when she saw the seriousness on Tony's face. He let go of her hand, only to frame her face with both hands, his eyes searing into hers.

"Sophia only _wishes_ she was as beautiful as you," he rasped softly.

A ringing cell phone broke the spell just as Tony was lowering his head to kiss Mandie. He groaned and rested his forehead on hers. "McInterruptus has terrible timing," he sighed, answering his phone. "_What_, McKilljoy?…..We're taking a walk to the store, what's it to you?…..Because it's a beautiful day, and Mandie's showing me around, and I don't have to explain myself to you, _junior_ field agent. We'll be back when we get back, 'Mother McGee." He didn't even wait to hear whatever else McGee had to say, just 'Gibbsed it,' and hung up. Tony turned to Mandie, intent on getting back to where he'd been before they were so rudely interrupted. "Now….where were we?"

Mandie reluctantly pulled away, nervous and unsure. Tony had pretty much told her she was beautiful…she knew that that was a lie, but he'd been about to kiss her….and the look in his eye - she's seen it before….he wanted her. Which just made her more nervous. But he let her go, a hint of disappointment in his eye, but total understanding there as well. "I was on my way to the store," she said a little sadly, wishing she had the guts to finish what they'd started.

Tony smiled. He'd vowed to himself that she could set the pace, and he'd stick to that if it killed him. So he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze. "So, show me this neighborhood store of yours….."

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_**Later That Evening….**_

Once again, Mandie was out on the balcony in the middle of the night, nightmares and phantom pains fresh in her mind. She could have gone to Tony - or any other member of the team, for that matter - but she felt she needed to not be so needy all the time. She hated being a burden. She closed her eyes and did some deep breathing exercises Dr. Cranston had taught her right after the….incident.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Tony said from the doorway, walking up to join her at the railing. He tenderly ran his hand over her back, sorry he'd made her jump. "Ya' ok?" he asked quietly, leaning back against the railing so he could see her. "Leg bothering you?" He'd seen her rubbing her thigh.

"No, not really," Mandie answered quietly. "Dr. Cranston called it phantom pain. Kind of the body's physical reaction to a nightmare. I dreamt about my leg getting hurt, so when I woke up, my leg was remembering the feeling." She finally looked up at him - almost wishing she hadn't. Him and that damned naked chest of his! Her mouth went dry.

"Does this happen often?" He seemed unaware of what his shirtlessness was doing to her.

Mandie shrugged, shoulder of her large t-shirt sliding down off one shoulder. "It hasn't happened for a long time. I guess Annie's accident brought it all back up."

Tony took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Mandie had no idea what that loose, big t-shirt was doing to him. That long beautiful neck, just made for kissing….for licking…for nipping. What made her even _more_ desirable is that she was completely innocent - clueless - about her sexuality. She wasn't trying to lure him in, wasn't playing coy, no games. She was just…._Mandie_.

"Why didn't you come to me, Manda-Panda? You know my door's always open…" Tony pushed a strand of hair off her cheek.

Mandie shrugged, t-shirt slipping enticingly again. "I'm used to handling it myself. I've had to for the last two years." She subconsciously moved a few steps closer to Tony. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone. No one else should lose sleep because of me and my stupid nightmares."

Reaching out, Tony cupped her cheek, thumb caressing, eyes smoldering. "It's not a burden if the help is offered," he assured huskily.

Mandie looked down shyly and bit her lip, nervous yet excited at the same time. She raised her eyes when Tony ran his thumb over her lip, releasing it from between her teeth. She saw his hot gaze on her mouth, her lips. Without thought, her tongue came out to wet her lips, catching his thumb in the process.

Tony felt that unintentional lick straight down to his cock, and shifted so their bodies were all but touching.

"Are you sure you want to make that offer to someone with all this baggage?" Mandie whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.

Wrapping her gently in his arms, Tony kissed her head, hands running up and down her back. "I've got two strong shoulders, Mandie-Mine. Let me help you carry some of that baggage, huh?" He felt one tear, then another, roll down his chest. He held her tighter, nuzzling her nose, her ear, down that tempting neck….

"W-will you stay with me, Tony? I don't want to be alone," Mandie asked with a sniffle.

"Thought you'd never ask," Tony replied softly, releasing her from the hug but taking her hand and intertwining their fingers. He looked in her eyes as he kissed her fingertips, then led Mandie back into the house.

Eyes hidden deep in the shadows of the balcony next door watched the scene in front of him play out. He'd been watching since the moment she'd stepped out onto her balcony in the pajama shorts and oversized t-shirt. And then, _he'd_ come along, standing too close, touching her in a way he shouldn't be - way too familiarly, no longer the touch of a brother but the touch of an aspiring lover. This was only going to complicate things. The watcher's steel blue eyes flashed - DiNozzo always did have bad timing, Gibbs thought to himself, hoping that when the time came, Tony would be able to separate himself enough to do his job and not lose his life - or endanger Mandie's more than it already was.

_**The Next Day….**_

Abby punched Tony in the arm - again - when he whined - again - about having to be in the mall.

"Ow! I'm serious! There really wasn't anything better you could think to do today than cruising the mall? Really?"

Ziva punched his other arm. Harder than Abby did. "Why can you not be more like McGee? _He_ is not complaining…."

Tony tested his arm to make sure it wasn't broken after Ziva hit it. "Well of _course_ McRedbook-Reader McGee isn't complaining - he's right at home, shopping with women. Goes with all that Mr. Sensitivity stuff he reads about in Ladies' Home Journal."

"I do _not _read Ladies' Home Journal, Tony," McGee said in his own defense. "And women happen to _like _when their men go shopping with them. It's a bonding thing." He smirked at Tony. "But then, you're never with a woman long enough to get to the bonding stage, so you wouldn't know anything about that."

Tony snuck a look at Mandie, who was doing her best to look casual. "Maybe I just hadn't found the woman I wanted to bond with yet, Mr. McFeelings, ever think of that?" He sent a small smile Mandie's way, sure no one had paid any attention to the exact words he'd used. "But even if I _had_, doesn't mean I want to waste an afternoon trolling the mall like a fifteen year old."

Little did Tony know, someone _had_ heard the phrasing he'd used, and she was quite pleased. It was all Ziva could do to not do a fist-pump. To keep herself grounded, she simply thought about Gibbs' reaction to the growing relationship between his 'son' and surrogate daughter. Oh yes, Gibbs was aware something was brewing, and he wasn't exactly thrilled, although Ziva could not understand why. She glanced at Mandie out of the corner of her eye - she wore her hair covering her scar, but she had allowed Abby to style it in a fashionable wave. Functional yet pretty. And Ziva had noticed Tony sneaking looks at their friend when he thought no one was looking. She hadn't seen that look in his eye in a long time. Not since Jeanne. It made her happy to know that someone as sweet as Mandie had captured Tony's heart. They both deserved the happiness they could bring each other. Abby's giggling brought Ziva back to the present, Abby and Mandie laughing over something in a storefront window. A glance back at Tony showed that while he tried to appear indifferent to his surroundings, his eyes broadcast that he was happy to see Mandie enjoying herself.

It was as they passed the pet store that Ziva came up with her plan. They'd stopped to watch the puppies in the window falling all over each other, Tony and Mandie all but plastered to the glass, calling to the pups and enjoying the enthusiastic show. Ziva faded back, pulling McGee gently with her. "I am in the mood for one of my berry-mango smoothies. Abby, is there a place here that sells them?" At the Goth's affirmative, Ziva all but begged. "Could you please take us? I don't want to be wandering around like a baboon."

Tim and Abby looked at each other, confused for a moment. "Oh! It's 'baffoon,' Zi, not 'baboon.' 'Baboon' is a type of chimp…"

"Actually, it's part of the gorilla family, Timmy," interrupted Abby, as she began walking away from the pet store.

"No, you're wrong, Abby," Tim said, adamantly. "Baboons are more monkey than gorilla…they're in the subspecies…."

Ziva smiled wickedly over her shoulder at Tony and Mandie, who had no idea the rest of the group was moving on, while listening to Abby and McGee bicker. Score one for the crazy, ninja chick and her misspoken - on - purpose idioms!

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So engrossed in the antics of the puppies, Mandie and Tony never even noticed the rest of their group had left. The two of them were too busy matching puppies up to each member of the team.

"Oh, that one with the black, floppy ears and sparkly collar is _definitely_ Abby!" Mandie said with a laugh, watching as the cocker spaniel in question bounced around the pen.

Tony almost bust a gut laughing as he pointed to the pup 'attacking' all the others. "Look at Mini-Zi! It's Crazy Ninja Puppy!" They both saw the puppy engrossed in figuring out how the water bottle works, and at the same time shouted, "McGee!"

When Tony was silent for a minute, Mandie saw him studying the pups intently. "What're you doing?"

"Eh, just trying to find a Puppy DiNozzo in there. But none of them is handsome enough….." Just then, a blue-eyed chocolate lab pup whapped a St. Bernard puppy in the head with a paw. Mandie almost cried, she was laughing so hard. Tony rubbed the back of his head in sympathy.

"Get used to it, little guy," he murmured, making a grab for Mandie before she could walk away. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. We're not finished yet. There's still the little matter of Puppy Mandie."

Mandie squirmed. "These guys are all too cute to be Puppy Me."

Glancing back at the pups, Tony smiled gently and wrapped Mandie in a hug from behind so she'd _have _to look in the window. His lips next to her ear, he said softly, "found her." He pointed their joined hands to where the St. Bernard puppy was trying hard to entice a shy Golden Retriever pup into joining the rest of the puppies. It took some silliness on the St. Bernard's part, but the timid retriever finally made it's way into the fray. And that loyal St. Bernard pup would come and check on her, get her to play.

Mandie watched the scene in the puppy pen and held back tears. Her hands, resting where Tony's arms wrapped around her waist, gave his arms a little squeeze. In return, he snuggled Mandie a little closer. She could feel his breath on her neck.

At the same time, they both realized what they were doing, how they were standing, and practically jumped apart. Tony turned to give some pathetic explanation to the rest of the team…..but they weren't there. He slowly spun in circles a couple of times, expecting to see them at a nearby store waiting impatiently for them, but they were nowhere to be found.

Mandie watched Tony spin. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for everybody else….I don't believe it - they split on us! They….I…..I am gonna' kill McGee - you know this is all _his _idea, stranding us, and watch, he'll blame _us_ for not keeping up….."

She stopped Tony by putting both hands on his shoulders. "Breathe, DiNozzo." Mandie waited as she did so. "You're not five years old, Tony, it's ok if mommy and daddy leave us on our own." She almost laughed at the look on his face. "Besides, this is a _good_ thing….no, it _is_," she insisted when he would have argued. "I wouldn't haven been able to keep up with Abby for much longer. My leg was getting tired. I normally don't shop in the mall - too much walking." She smiled at Tony's look of understanding as he pulled her close and put an arm around her shoulders.

"No, the good part is, I get to be alone with you," Tony said, nuzzling her ear, smiling when Mandie giggled. "C'mon. Show me why this mall of yours is so great."

_**NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS~~~SCARS~~~NCIS**_

Mandie and Tony had been taking their time walking, Tony stopping frequently to let Mandie's leg have a rest. They got some looks, mostly from Tony's usual kind of girl - blonde, leggy, and built - 'all wondering what he's doing with someone like _me_,' Mandie thought to herself. But Tony was oblivious - he only had eyes for Mandie.

Just cruising the mall, holding hands with Tony, Mandie wasn't really paying any attention to where they were going until Tony steered her into a shop. It was a high-end women's clothing store - the kind where a blouse cost two months' worth of her salary, if not more. Right away, she felt self-conscious and tried to turn and leave, but Tony wouldn't let her. "Tony," she growled in a whisper, "I can't afford to even _look_ at the clothes in here."

He stopped her as she tried to leave again. "You don't have to _buy_ anything, this is just for fun….." Seeing Mandie about to argue, he continued, "think of it as an adventure."

A few hoity-toity sales women were nearby, watching the couple. They recognized the designer clothing-casual as it may be - that Tony wore, but they looked down their noses at Mandie. The younger of the clerks walked over to the quietly arguing couple, effectively dismissing Mandie by turning her back on her and just addressing Tony. She smiled, somewhat seductively. "May I help you, sir?"

Seeing her opportunity, Mandie made for the door, but dang Tony's long arms! He snagged her hand before she got more than a few steps away. She sighed, resigned to the coming humiliation.

Tony gave the saleswoman a patronizing smile. "No thanks, not just yet." He pulled Mandie behind him deeper into the store. "Poopsie and I are just looking right now. We'll let you know if we need you." Tony passed the clerk quickly, not seeing the look of shock on her face. Mandie gave the woman a weak smile as they sailed past.

" '_Poopsie'_?" Mandie muttered. "You are _so_ going to pay for that."

Tony wasn't as oblivious to the stares Mandie was getting from the salesclerks as she thought he was. He knew she was feeling out of her comfort zone, but he wanted to show her that stepping outside the zone once in a while was ok. He found the perfect accessory to his mission in the back of the store, and headed straight for them.

Mandie's heart began to race as she saw where Tony was taking her, and she tried to stop, to pull her hand from his, but he wouldn't let go. "Tony, no," she whispered in a panic. It was like he didn't even hear her. "Tony?" Her voice rose a bit, shaking. "Please?"

The tremors in her voice were killing him, and it was her petrified 'please' that made him finally stop. He pulled her close, rested his forehead on hers, could feel her trembling. "You know I'd never do anything to hurt you, Mandie. If you really want me to stop, I will, you know that."

She nodded, still shaking. She _did_ know that, she trusted Tony more than she'd trusted anyone in a long, long time. But this….this was just too much. "I can't wear….the scars…." she whimpered.

Tony lightly kissed her lips. "Trust me, Mandie," he murmured, "no one will even notice the scars when you're in one of these, I promise you."

Looking at the sea of colors and styles, Mandie swallowed. What killed her the most was knowing that before the…incident…she would have had one of everything in a dressing suite, and would have had a blast, trying them on all day long. She gulped, trying to call up that carefree young woman. She took a deep breath, inhaled Tony's scent, feeling slightly more grounded with him so close. 'Oh, what the hell,' she thought to herself. There was nothing that said she had to leave the dressing room…..

Sensing her wavering, Tony tried bribery. "Tell you what…for every one you try on, I'll get you five minutes alone with Abby." He knew Mandie was still wondering why she and Abby were never left alone to talk.

Walking over to the racks and casually flipping through, she pretended to think about it. Some of them _were_ really gorgeous, and the former imp rose up, wanting to play dress-up. Mandie turned to Tony. "Mmmm….I don't know. You're asking an awful lot…." She gave him a confident look. "What else you got?"

Tony momentarily swallowed his tongue as she stood before him, challenging him. Hol-y….he said the first thing that came to his mind. "Want some candy, little girl?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Mandie smiled just as suggestively and put one hand on her tilted up hip. "What kind do you have in mind?" She almost laughed at the shocked looked on his face. Then he smiled that lady-killer grin.

"You are a bad, bad girl!" Tony teased, but waved a salesclerk over to help Mandie try stuff on. "We need everything, from inside out, accessories, shoes, the works." He turned to Mandie. "Will you let me pick them out?"

'In for a penny.' she thought. "Why not?" She chuckled when Tony practically clapped like a little kid.

Tony dug through the racks, man on a mission. He pulled things off, put others back. He knew Mandie was self-conscious about certain body parts so he was trying to keep that in mind as he looked, but he knew he'd have to give her something to try on quickly before she lost her nerve altogether. He turned to Mandie and handed her several preliminary choices. He wasn't one hundred percent thrilled with any of them, but it would give them somewhere to start.

Mandie took the hangars and headed for a dressing suite. A salesclerk, sensing a large sale, all but grabbed them out of her hands and hung them up in the room for her. The other salesclerks bustled around, trying to match accessories to everything Tony had picked out.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Mandie walked into the suite to try something on. She yelped when the door opened behind her and one of the more matronly-looking clerks entered, saying she was going to help Mandie change. Mandie assured the woman she'd been dressing herself for many years, but the woman wouldn't budge. Mandie stuck just her head out the door, being half-naked. "Psst…Tony…. Tony!" When he finally turned, she motioned him over with her head. "Get her out of here!" She whispered gruffly.

"She's there to help you…"

Mandie's eyes flashed angrily. "I'm well over thirty years old, Anthony DiNozzo, I know how to dress myself," she growled.

Tony sighed. "Ok, ok, she can leave, but can she at least stand outside the door in case you need help with anything?"

Utterly relieved, Mandie happily agreed, and the clerk left the suite with a huff. Tony smirked when the door slammed and locked behind her. "Poopsie's a little shy." Muffled from behind the door came Mandie's irate "_don't call me 'Poopsie'!_" Tony chuckled, giving the perturbed saleswoman a pathetic smile.

Ten minutes later, Tony was sitting in an over-stuffed white chair, still waiting for Mandie to come out and show him the first. She'd called the saleswoman in several minutes ago to help with something, so he'd figured she was nearly ready. He jumped up when the door creaked open slowly. He nearly choked. He'd known she'd be stunning but this… she'd chosen the red, one-shouldered silk gown to try on first. It was slightly too tight in the hips, but the rest of it fit like a dream, from the form-fitting bust to the way it draped elegantly down past her ankles. "Wow," was all he could say. "In a different color, though. That red is too harsh against your skin."

"That's not _all_ that's too harsh," Mandie grumbled unhappily. At Tony's questioning look, she said, "I'd need to wear a jacket over this." He still looked clueless. She tsked and struck a very un-ladylike pose. "My _back_? This is a little too…backless." Tony gave her the hand motion to turn around, still stunned. She vehemently shook her head. She sighed. Alright, fine, he wanted to see the back, she'd show him the damned back. Mandie spun (as best she could, seeing as the dress was wayyyy too tight in the hips for her to move), exposing the half-back to the dress.

Tony couldn't say anything at first - he was mesmerized by Mandie's ass, cupped in red silk. Holy…! It was the gasps from the saleswomen that snapped him out of his trance, and he looked up at the rest of her….only to see the huge, round, white puckers. Scars where Shane Greene had burned her with cigars, across her shoulder blades, down her back. To say nothing of the lash scars where she'd been whipped. Tony wanted to vomit. He'd known about the scars, had seen them before, while she was in the hospital, and pictures during the trial. But over time, with never seeing them, he'd kind of forgotten about them. He could tell, from her posture, that she was just waiting for him to say something. So he did. "Ok, so backless is out of the question, as is red. Go take that off, we'll find you a better color." As Mandie shuffled back into the dressing suite with the older saleswoman, the other clerks ran to get more appropriate dresses. When he was alone, Tony sank into the chair and tried to calm his breathing, running a hand over his face. That had been a rude reminder of what had happened to her, and he hoped he hadn't just wrecked things between them.

The next gown (Tony gave her a lot of credit for still going through with this) was a deep rose color, strapless, and shapeless from the waist down, kind of like a toga. He didn't like it, he thought, watching Mandie spin slowly. It didn't showcase her ass enough.

Over a couple of hours, Mandie had tried on dresses of all colors and styles, she and Tony arguing good-naturedly over each one. The salesclerk that had flirted with Tony came over with another gown, a soft white, with rhinestones and beading. She insisted that this would be_ the_ dress for Mandie. Mandie knew it _wouldn't_ be - it was _white_. White made her (and every other woman) look fat. Tony tried to talk the saleswoman out of it, but she wasn't going to go away until Mandie tried it on. So with a look that said "just humor her, and maybe she'll go away," Tony sent the white dress into the dressing suite with Mandie. The door opened a few minutes later, an angry Mandie storming out. If Tony had had anything in his mouth, he would have spit it out in shock. "Good God! No!" It was hideous - the rhinestones and beading were just too much. He all but pushed Mandie back into the dressing room to take it off.

Seeing Mandie was beginning to wilt - all this standing had to be tiring her bad leg - Tony brought one last dress to the door. "Last one, I promise." At her hopeful look, he said again, "Promise." Mandie took the dress with a sigh and went back into the suite. Ten minutes later, Tony was starting to worry. The saleswoman rushed out, then rushed back in with a box in her hands. He started to pace, then couldn't take it anymore. He knocked on the door. "Mandie? You ok? What's wrong?" He heard a sniffle.

"Nothing's wrong…I'll be out in a minute," Mandie called in a wavery voice and sniffled again.

Tony resumed his worried pacing, and he jumped when the door opened. The matronly saleswoman exited first….and she was smiling. A second later….Tony forgot how to breathe. There stood Mandie, in this bright blue - a beautiful robin's egg blue - off-the-shoulder, form-fitting, silky, floor-length gown. The off-the-shoulder thick straps hung loosely just past her shoulder. Her breasts…good God, her breasts!…were plumped up, just barely rising over the top of the dress, the bodice tight. There was enough play in the fabric around her hips to allow her to move and walk….and a slit that was enticing, yet managed to cover any scars. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it. Mandie clumsily did a little slow spin, so he could see the back. The back draped down perfectly, no scars showing. And Tony didn't know how he managed to not walk over there and cup that butt…..ohhhhhhhh God, what a beautiful ass….. Tony again ran his eyes from top to bottom, and saw that the extra perk to her butt was courtesy of spiky, strappy gold heels.

Mandie turned back around to face him. Nevermind having butterflies in her stomach, she had jack-hammers. He hadn't said anything yet….he looked…dazed? _She_, l'il Mandielou Sewell of LaPlace, Louisiana, had _dazed_ Tony DiNozzo? "W-well?" Tony's eyes glowed, and he held out a hand.

"Dance with me?"

She could feel her cheeks turning red, and she looked down shyly. "Dance? There's no music…." She walked toward him though, shaky on the high heels.

Taking her in his arms, holding her close, Tony whispered, "Yes there is…" and began to softly hum a romantic tune in her ear, gently guiding her in a slow dance. She wobbled every time they turned.

"Sorry," Mandie whispered. "It's the heels. Makes my leg hurt a little."

Tony stopped dancing and went to one knee beside her. He slid his hand around her silky ankle, tapping it gently for her to pick up her foot. Putting both hands on his shoulders for balance, Mandie did so, and gasped when he flipped the first shoe off her foot. With a tickly caress, he let go of that ankle, and his hand went to the other, caressing once again. As she raised that foot, the slit in the dress parted, baring a good deal of leg. With a hot look in his eye, he began to flip this shoe off, too. "Shoes are over-rated," he rasped huskily. Then he did something Mandie never expected. He leaned forward and just barely brushed his lips in a kiss on the inside of her knee.

Mandie felt something low in her belly ping as he kissed the inside of her knee, and she struggled to breathe. Tony slid his way back up, his body brushing against hers. Her every nerve was alive and tingling as he began another slow sway, his nose nuzzling hers, then moving to her ear and neck. His hands rode low on her hips, and she just knew he wanted to put them on her butt. She wouldn't have stopped him if he had. The sharp ring of a cell phone made them jump apart, and Tony grabbed his out of his pocket. "Go change," he whispered, answering his phone. "_What_, McGee?" he growled, eyes on Mandie's ass until the door shut behind her.

A few minutes later, he'd hung up with McGee, who was all apologetic about leaving them. The saleswoman came out of Mandie's dressing suite with the blue dress and shoes. He motioned for her to ring it up, and she smiled again. There was no way Mandie could _not_ not wear that creation somewhere. He had the plastic wrapped dress draped over his arm when Mandie joined him at the door. "Let's go home," he murmured, putting an arm around her shoulder.

_**MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY~~HAPPY~~MERRY**_

_**A/N-**_** IT'S MERE MOMENTS TO MIDNIGHT ON CHRISTMAS EVE, SO I'LL TAKE THIS TIME TO WISH YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES A MERRY, HAPPY, SAFE HOLIDAY.**

_**A/N 2 - **_**IT WOULD BE THE WORLD'S GREATEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER IF YOU'D REVIEW MY LITTLE CHAPTER, HERE….HINT, HINT! MAKE MY 2012 AND REVIEW - **_**PLEASE? **_**AND THANKS!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N-**_**Just a little warning that this chapter is a touch emo at the end. I don't think you'll need the tissues, but it'll touch your heart (if I've written it right! LOL). Shout out to the REAL Mandie, FF's own Mandielouluvsewe, a great friend and awesome writer. And I'm not saying that just cuz she's writing a story about ME! (But if you wanted to hurry up and give me another chapter, Mandie, I won't complain!) Her stories are awesome - they'll make you laugh, they'll make you cry, they'll make you drool….they'll do other things too, but I'm trying to be sensitive-audience friendly! So go enjoy a story or 2 (or more) of hers, you won't regret it! Love ya', Real Mandie!**

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 17**

_**A Few Days Later…**_

Mandie fairly bounced back into her tiny office at work after lunch. A picnic. In the park. With Tony. He'd come to take her to lunch, as a surprise. It was such a beautiful, warm, sunny day, they'd walked to the park. Although she'd had butterflies just _being_ with Tony (Lordy, that was strange!), but she thought she'd faint as they walked through the park. It felt like everyone was staring, wondering what a hot guy like Tony was doing with someone like _her_. It must have been written on her face, because Tony had reached out and grabbed her hand, entwining their fingers. _What other people in the park_?

It had been magical, sitting on a blanket laid out under a tree, sharing pizza (this _was_ Tony we're talking about), watching Tony decide it was easier to give in and just feed that squirrel the grapes rather than try to hide them from it. She'd been mid-laugh when Tony had leaned over and gently taken her lips. She stared into his eyes momentarily when the kiss ended, then reached a hand up behind his head and pulled him down for another. They'd spent a leisurely time on that blanket under a tree in the park, touching, kissing, talking, cuddling. Then reality intruded, and she'd had to return to work.

Mandie was now outfitted in her regular work outfit - hard hat, gloves hanging out of a pocket - and she was checking in with her foreman, Ben, in the stockroom. "Call Brad at DuChene," she said, handing the man back his clipboard. "This is the second time they've been late with their shipment this month. I'm sick of corporate biting _our_ heads off because _we're_ not shipping out on time." She smiled. "And use that deep, angry voice you use to scare people."

"Oh, c'mon now, Mandie-Lou. You know my Barry White impression is only used for sweet-talkin' the ladies," Ben teased back.

"Huh. Funny your wife's never heard it, then."

"I said _ladies_, Mandie-Lou, didn't say anything about Feenie."

Mandie rolled her eyes. "I think you _like_ it when Feenie is mad at you," she joked. "Fine, don't do Barry. Give 'em Darth Vader. Only without the heavy breathing."

Ben stopped her as she turned to walk away. "You've been different lately, darlin'….happy." At her raised eyebrows, he clarified, "Happi_er_ then. What's got you on Cloud Nine, shugah?" When she began to blush, Ben pushed, "or should I say, _'who'?"_ He winked at her, touching her hair, which she hadn't even realized she still had up off her face. "It's not a bad thing, Mandie-girl." He gave her a fatherly hug. "Brings joy to my heart to see you livin' again, believing in yourself again. And if it takes a boy from north of the Mason-Dixon Line to help you do that, well, I guess I can't complain." Ben 'oofed' when Mandie gave him a soft jab to the stomach. Letting her go, he smiled. "I just wanted you to know that I'm happy for you, little girl. No one deserves some happiness more than you."

Returning his hug, Mandie kidded back, "you just like me happy because I let ya'll go home early once in a while," she smiled.

Ben slung an arm around her shoulders as they continued walking out of the stockroom. "Well, hell little girl, can't blame us for enjoying the perks!"

Mandie rolled her eyes and took off her helmet as they exited the room. "Just call DuChene," she implored, "Lord Vader."

Straightening up, shoulders back, Ben put on his best Darth Vader impression. "If your shipment is late one more time, DuChene foreman, you shall _feel_ the _power_ of the Dark Side! My boss will kick your ass!"

Mandie was still laughing as she returned to her office.

_**SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS**_

Gibbs and Fornell (who'd arrived in Laplace a few days ago) looked up in surprise as Tony sprung into the command/surveillance van whistling. "Shrimp ravioli for lunch, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked sarcastically, startling the younger man.

"Would never cheat on Mama Louisa more than once, boss, no matter how good the food is. Don't want to get on the bad side of someone who would Evil Eye me without a second thought." Tony looked at the other two men, confused by the incredulous looks on their faces. "What? It's a beautiful day in a beautiful town. Can't a guy enjoy a nice day?" he asked with an uncomfortable smile.

Fornell and Gibbs smirked at each other. "A woman," snarked Fornell. Gibbs chuckled. "Ohhh yeah," he agreed with a smile.

"Maybe I'm just learning to appreciate the slower pace down here. There doesn't have to be a woman involved."

"A _beautiful_ woman," Fornell cracked to Gibbs, who just chuckled again.

Tony scoffed. "Well, of _course_ she's beautiful," he began, before catching himself, "if there _was_ a woman, which there _isn't_. But if there _was_, well, _yeah_, she's…._would be_ beautiful. I mean, this is _me_ we're talking about," he hedged. Feeling The Glare, Tony looked up nervously. "Ready to work, boss!"

Gulp! He'd almost blown it! But why should his good mood automatically mean he's got a woman? Granted, _this_ time, that _is_ why he's 'whistling Dixie'….he chuckled to himself at his pun…. 'whistling Dixie,' he's in the south…..feeling another grin forming on his face, Tony quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head. Guess it wouldn't look too good to be investigating a serial killer with a smile on his face. Although killing that bastard, Shane Green, _would_ be a pleasurable experience…..

He shook his head to clear it. How had he let that scum sucker knock everything else about the day out of his head? Stuff he didn't _want_ out….he felt that goofy smile again, but gave up trying to hide it. It had been an _awesome_ day so far, he refused to not enjoy it even now.

Tony'd had the bright idea this morning to take Mandie on a picnic. With help from Emily, he'd found the perfect spot - Mandie's favorite park. Emily had even made the pizza - homemade - just for the occasion. Tony had worried the picnic basket would be stolen, but Emily had assured him that that kind of thing doesn't happen in LaPlace. So he'd worked out a schedule with Emily, who'd deliver the basket of food just before he and Mandie arrived, so the pizza would still be warm.

It was such a beautiful day - sunny, warm - that he'd decided he and Mandie could walk to the park. Plus it would give him that much more time with her.

He had shown up at the warehouse just before noon, surprising Mandie. Tony smiled, remembering how her face had lit up when she'd noticed him waiting for her. He could tell she'd wanted to hug him as she ran toward him, but was too nervous to do so in front of her co-workers, so he'd put an arm across her shoulders for a one-armed, more casual hug and said he was whisking her away for lunch.

It had been a pleasant walk as they'd headed for the park. As they strolled though, Tony could tell Mandie was feeling self-conscious, thinking everyone was wondering what _he_ was doing with _her_. She'd started styling her hair differently lately, thanks to Abby. It could still cover a good deal of the scar on her cheek, but now it looked 'on purpose.' It looked….flirty. She'd untucked her hair from behind her ear now, trying to look casual, unnoticeable. Nope, not happening with him around. He'd reached down and grabbed her hand, making a show of entwining their fingers.

Lunch had been perfect. Pizza just the right temperature - not so hot it burned your mouth, yet still warm enough for the cheese to be all melty (hey, he's Italian. These things are important!), the mood light, once Mandie had let go and forgotten there were other people around. If that took him being shaken down by a squirrel gone rogue for their snack of grapes, he could live with it. To see her first giggling, then true belly laughing….God, she was so beautiful…. Tony couldn't help himself. He leaned in and took Mandie's lips in a sweet, soft kiss. His heart nearly burst when, after searching his eyes, she'd reached up and gently pulled him back for another delicious kiss.

They'd spent a while reclining on the blanket under the tree talking, touching, kissing. He'd wanted to ask her to take the rest of the afternoon off and spend it with him, right here in the park, but decided that it might be a little too soon for that. Tony had reluctantly helped her up and walked her slowly back to work, and she'd given him a shy kiss, telling him what a good time she'd had. He'd stood, staring through the door until he couldn't see her anymore.

So yeah. Tony was happy. Walking to his rental car to question a possible witness, he resumed his whistling with a spring in his step.

_**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS*NCIS**SCARS**NCIS**_

_**Home of Emily Millet **_

_**LaPlace, Louisiana**_

_**Later That Afternoon…..**_

Tony flung opened the door to the house, tossing the car keys on the hall table by the door. It had been a frustrating afternoon, chasing leads that went nowhere. He'd stopped in and checked on Mandie's friend Annie, still in the hospital, but slowly making progress. She'd been out of her coma less than a week, and was in a good deal of pain, but at least she was coherent. She had very little recollection of the hit-and-run, which in the long run, was probably a good thing. But all Tony wanted now was an evening spent in mindless pursuits. Maybe he could get Mandie to join him either out somewhere for drinks, or even just sitting together on the front porch…. A delectable smell wafted past his nose, and he felt himself all but drool. Someone was making cookies. (sniff, sniff) Chocolate chip, if he wasn't mistaken. He didn't think about the almost ten pounds he'd put on since he'd arrived in LaPlace, but let his nose guide him where it - and his stomach - wanted to be - the kitchen.

The sight almost stopped him dead. Mandie was making the cookies. There she was, bent over in front of the oven, just putting in a tray of about-to-become-cookies. Tony's eyes couldn't help but drop to her sweet ass. Even sweeter with a white, flour hand print just over the back pocket. The saliva in his mouth dried up. She must have sensed his presence, because she shut the oven door and turned her head to acknowledge him, then set about removing some slightly cooled cookies off a tray and onto the cooling rack, beginning the process of filling the tray up with little blobs of cookie dough again. "H-hey." He had to clear his throat before he could speak again. "Mmm, something looks delicious," he said in a seductive, deep, raspy voice, eyes trailing over her body, lingering on every dot of flour, every curve. "Wouldn't mind a taste of that."

Mandie never even turned to look at him, concentrating on what she was doing, and just pointed. "The ones over there are cool enough." She jumped when arms suddenly came around her waist, and Tony was resting his chin on her shoulder. He was plastered against her.

"I meant _you_, Mandie-Mine," he murmured in her ear, turning her in his arms so they were chest to chest. Eyes searching her face, he bent his head and gently kissed her chin, then the corner of her mouth, where there were smudges of cookie dough that he was sure she didn't know about. "But the cookies taste pretty good, too….."

They spent a minute or so just staring in each other's eyes, Tony resting his forehead against hers, his fingers tracing lazy circles on her lower back. A strange smell interrupted, making both their noses twitch. "The cookies!" Mandie gasped and whipped back around to the oven, grabbing an oven mitt. She hip-checked Tony out of the way to set the tray of just-slightly more-than-golden cookies on the counter.

Seeing the frustrated look on Mandie's face, Tony chuckled softly and pulled her back into his arms. "Tell you what. Those can be _my_ cookies, since it's my fault they came out that way."

She gave him a fake glare. "Darn straight they're yours. My momma's rule was always 'only the best for guests, the cook gets the mistakes.' I'm sure she'd accept the exception in this case." Mandie smiled, reaching up and burying her hands in his hair, bringing his lips down to hers. They both sighed at the contact. Breaking the kiss, Mandie held up her fingers, blades of grass between them.

Tony smirked and plucked a blade of grass from her fingers, twirling it around. "Huh," he pretended to wonder, with a predatory smile, "wonder how that got there…." His head was lowering when a voice startled them apart.

"Oh!" Ziva stopped suddenly, seeing Tony and Mandie in each other's arms. "I am sorry, I was just coming to…."

Mandie never even heard Ziva finish her sentence. She fled the kitchen in total embarrassment, fingers touching her lips.

Letting Mandie go, Tony closed his eyes in worry and frustration. With a resigned sigh, prepared to have to do some fast talking to explain, Tony turned to face Ziva. "It's not…."

"I am sorry, Tony, for interrupting. And chasing Mandie away." She watched as Tony scrubbed a hand over his face. "There is nothing to be embarrassed or worried about, Tony. I have had the feeling that there was something between you and she, something more than just brother and sister."

"Look, Ziva, we're….it's just….I….."

Ziva smirked. "Anthony DiNozzo at a loss for words. What a new experience!" Seeing how uncomfortable her partner was, she decided to let him off the hook. "I think it is wonderful, that you and Mandie have found each other. I am not usually so smushy about these things, but….she is good for you, grounds you, brings out the….softer…side of you. And you are good for her. You give her confidence, the will to believe in herself again, to believe she is beautiful…"

Tony's eyes flashed. "She _is_ beautiful," he stated matter-of-factly, seriously. "And it's 'mushy,' not 'smushy.'"

Smiling, Ziva touched Tony's cheek. "Exactly my point." Her eyes shone with unshed tears, remembering a former love. "Someone told me once that the heart wants what it wants. And if yours wants Mandie's - and she, yours ….it is as it should be." She patted his cheek as he thanked her with his eyes. "But _I_ am not the one you should be worrying about…." she said with a smirk.

Tony swallowed hard and shut his eyes in dread. "Gibbs is going to kill me."

_**NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS+++++SCARS+++++NCIS**_

It had been a couple of days since she and Tony had been caught in the kitchen. Tony had assured her that Ziva wouldn't say anything, but Mandie still worried. But getting caught had been kind of a turning point in their budding relationship. With help from Ziva, Mandie and Tony were able to be alone more often, whether it be getting others out of a room, or holding someone back when they went out.

Mandie was kind of starting to _really_ like the little touches, the stolen kisses. One night, staring at that beautiful blue gown Tony had bought for her that day in the mall, she finally acknowledged that she felt something for Tony. _More_ than just sister and brother. She got butterflies - _good_ butterflies - every time he even _looked_ at her. And she began to think about wanting more, wanting a true relationship with him.

But a part of Mandie was scared. She was slowly overcoming the insecurity about her looks. It still reared it's ugly head , but not as much - or as scarily - as usual. No, it was the more…_physical_ ….part of the whole thing that frightened her. Don't get her wrong, Mandie loved - craved - Tony's little touches, the kisses. And she knew, beyond a doubt that she was safe with Tony. But she worried about…. intimacy. Would she be able to be …._that way_? A big part of her _wanted_ to take that next step….but what if she'd _never_ be able to be loved that way? Tony wasn't a monk, and she didn't expect him to be. How much longer would he stay in a relationship that kept him celibate? She knows he cares for her….loves her….but eventually, he'd get tired of never doing more than some heavy necking.

Mandie blushed as the thought of last night's make-out session came to mind. Ziva had managed to get Abby out of the library so Mandie and Tony were alone. They hadn't been this completely alone since that night at the movies. And things had quickly - but carefully - progressed to that level.

It felt _soooo_ good. Tony was so careful and gentle, introducing a new touch slowly, making sure she was ok before continuing. And she _had_ been ok, as Tony's hand ran up and down her side, fingers toying with the hem of her T-shirt every time his hand reached it. She'd been ok as his hand lingered at the curve of her breast. Then lingered longer. She was fine, until Tony began guiding her to lie down on the couch. His lips were on her neck, kissing and nibbling, his hand now cupping her breast, her hands in his hair holding him close. She never even really felt it as he eased her down.

Mandie had opened her eyes, and all of a sudden it wasn't Tony above her, holding her softly, gently. It was _HIM_. The Monster Marine. Shane Green. It wasn't Tony murmuring her name, telling her how beautiful she is. It was _HIM_, grunting, growling, saying vile, filthy things as he bit up and down her neck and painfully grabbed, pawed, and bit her breasts.

She tried telling herself it was over, but Mandie's brain wasn't having any of it.

_**SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS#####NCIS#####SCARS**_

Tony at first thought they were whimpers of pleasure, because God knew this was damned pleasurable! He hadn't planned on going this far, but Mandie was handling it ok. He'd shivered and moaned in anticipation when her hand had wandered down and clutched his ass.

Something started niggling at his brain, trying to break through the sexual haze. A small fist thumped against his chest, then another.

"_NO!"_

He sprang to a sitting position - when had the ended up lying down? He looked down at Mandie to make sure he'd heard correctly, and practically threw himself off the couch to the floor. Only the fear that the sudden movement would make things worse for her stopped him. He slowly sat back and checked Mandie over from head to toe, and his heart broke. She was in the throes of a flashback, eyes wild with fright, fists hitting out blindly. Her breath came in sharp gasps, whimpers and mewls of pain were the only sounds, other than the litany of _no's_ spilling from her mouth.

Unsure what to do, Tony murmured softly, assuring Mandie she was safe. He felt lower-than-low - _he_ had done this to her. She'd had nightmares, yeah, but they'd never been like this. When she would wake from one, the nightmare was over. But now, she was already awake. He felt helpless. Gibbs would know what to do. But Tony couldn't ask Gibbs - the older man would want to know what brought it on. What was Tony supposed to say? 'I was on my way to second base with a girl you consider a daughter when my wandering hands put her over'? He liked living, thanks very much.

At that moment, the library door began slowly creeping open. Hand over her eyes, Ziva shuffled in. "I am sorry, continue what you were doing, I just need to grab a book…." Her hand flew off her eyes at the sounds she was hearing. What was Tony doing to this poor young girl? She gasped in shock, recognizing the signs of a flashback. "Tony! What happened?" She raced over to the couch, sitting at Mandie's back.

Tony had both hands out in front of him, trying to keep Mandie from punching him. "I don't know, Zi. One minute we're….and then….help her, Zi!"

Ziva had never seen her partner look so distressed before, and knew he was blaming himself. "The blame does not lie with you, Tony," she murmured. "It lies with the man that caused this in the first place." She spoke softly in Mandie's ear, telling her it was ok, that she was safe now, that it was time to come back to them. Mandie's struggles and cries slowed little by little, Ziva speaking to her, rubbing her back. "It's time to return to the present, Mandie. You are safe, you are here with your family. We're all waiting for you to come back to us….I am here, and Abby and McGee. Gibbs is here, and you know he would never let anything hurt you. And Tony is here." As she spoke about the team, Mandie began to come around. Her eyes started to lose their wildness, her breathing less irregular. "That's the way, my sister. Easy, deep breaths." Ziva looked over at Tony, still sitting vigil in front of the young woman. "Talk to her, Tony, she has always responded better to you."

Tony's eyebrows nearly went through the roof. "Are you forgetting _I'm_ the one that did this to her? She'll lose it again…."

"_You_ did not cause this, Tony. Shane Green caused this. We pulled her through the first time, we shall pull her through again. It is what we do for family."

Running a hand through his hair, Tony didn't know what to do. On the one hand, talking to Mandie could put her back over the edge. But it was killing him to just sit here, watching her struggle. All he wanted to do was wrap her in his arms, protect her from the world. While he thought, the decision was made for him.

"T-Ton-ny?" Mandie's shaky voice broke through the fog and went straight to his heart. "Tony?"

Ziva smiled softly. "You see? She is not afraid of you. Talk to her, Tony."

He tried to speak, but his throat had closed up. Clearing his throat, he rasped, "I'm right here, Mandie-Mine. I'm with you."

Mandie looked up from where she was crying on Ziva's shoulder. "You….you found me…saved me…." she whimpered. "Y-you found me…was so scared….but you found me."

Tony closed his eyes and swallowed hard. That horrific day flashing in his mind. He opened his eyes and gently took the hand Mandie was holding to her scarred cheek and held it. "Yeah, I did, sweetheart. I found you….thank God I found you," he whispered. Any other words he might have said were cut off when he was grabbed in a hug to rival Abby's. Mandie had thrown herself at him, snuggled up to his chest, head buried under his chin. After a moment, when he realized she wasn't screaming and crying and trying to get away, he cautiously enfolded Mandie in his arms. She repeated over and over that he'd found her, they hadn't given up, he'd saved her. She seemed …._relieved_. Tony rested his cheek on the top of Mandie's head and sighed, eyes closed. "Your safe, darlin'….we're all right here…." he murmured in response to her babbling. "Shhhhh, I found you, Mandie-Mine….I'll _always_ find you…."

Seeing she was no longer needed here, Ziva silently stood and walked to the library door. She wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffled.

"Ziva?"

Putting on her brave face, she turned to look at Tony, who also had tears in his eyes….for a different reason. "Thank you," he rasped, and she knew he could tell what this had cost her. She gave him a watery smile. "You are welcome, Tony." With a last smile, she left closing the door behind her.

And Tony just put his cheek back on the top of Mandie's head, caressed her back and arms, thankful to have his girl back.

_**NCIS~~~~~SCARS~~~~~NCIS~~~~~SCARS~~~~~NCIS~~~~~SCARS~~~~~NCIS~~~~~SCARS~~~~~NCIS~~~~~SCARS~~~~~NCIS**_

_**A/N - **_**Well, how'd I do? Please show some love and REVIEW please! Make a starving author happy! No, really. I'm hungry, I haven't had breakfast or lunch yet…..so REVIEW!**

_**A/N 2-**_** The 'second base' Tony talks about while fooling around with Mandie is a reference to American Baseball. Each base goes further than the one before, with a 'Home Run" being…well…. "all the way" - as in, everything….. I'm not sure what's what on what base - I never understood the whole system. Sorry!**


	18. Chapter 18

_**NO ONE GETS THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SCARS**_

**CHAPTER 18**

Looking at that blue gown, Mandie was reminded of how guilty Tony had felt after her flashback. Once she'd calmed down, she'd realized he blamed himself, and she told him over and over that it wasn't his fault. And honestly, she didn't feel that it was. And if _she_ didn't blame him, then he shouldn't be blaming himself. But that was Tony, taking the problems of others on as his own. Truth of the matter was, she'd really liked what they had been doing up until…well, _that_ had happened. _Really_ liked it. And she'd told Tony so, but he still felt horribly. So Mandie had mustered up some courage and kissed him. She just couldn't let him beat himself up anymore, so, she'd pulled his head down and softly fit her lips to his. And, being honest again…she'd wanted to see if she could still do this - still be held, touched, and kissed. When he'd pulled away, she looked up at him, and realized…._yes_, she _could_ still do this. And even more so, _wanted_ to do this. So she'd kissed him again, still soft and easy, but he'd returned it this time. Just remembering the moment made her miss Tony….

A banging on the door made Mandie spring back to the present. She could tell by the knock that it was Abby outside the door. "Yeah, Abbs?"

"C'mon!" came the muffled, but excited, voice of the happy goth. "We're all getting ready for the movie to start! You know you've got to get there early if you don't want to end up on the floor!"

Mandie giggled as she made for the door. "I know, I know!" She threw open the door and joined her friend. "Let's go! I wanna' get a seat on the couch - it's the only place to see the TV straight on." The two women ran down the stairs like little kids and made for the living room. Seeing the room was beginning to fill up, they both made a dive for the couch and called for it at the same time.

"Couch!" Abby landed just as McGee was sitting, and she booted him off with her sock-clad feet.

"Awwww, c'mon, Abby…..this is the best seat in the house…." McGee whined. "Let me share…please? If I have to sit next to Tony and listen to him recite the whole movie, I'll kill him."

Mandie and Abby laughed. "Sorry, McToo-Late," Abby crowed. "To the victors go the best seats in the house."

Tony had joined in the laughter, confident that he'd be able to get a spot on the couch - both women loved him. So he was surprised when he went to sit and ended up with four feet kicking his butt off. "Hey!" He turned and saw that Abby and Mandie had put their feet together up in the air, making it impossible for anyone to sit between them on the couch. "Awwww, c'mon amigas! You know how uncomfortable that floor is….do you really want me to hurt my back, sitting down there?" Abby rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, making 'the world's smallest violin.' "Abbs!" Tony put a hand over his heart. "You wound me! You know I have a bad back…Mandie…." He begged the other woman. "C'mon, let me sit on the couch," he pouted.

"Tony, just shut up and sit on the floor," complained McGee from across the room. "Some of us would like to see the movie sometime tonight."

As he turned to gripe back to McGee, Tony saw movement toward the couch out of the corner of his eye. Thinking Abby and Mandie had changed their minds and were going to let him sit with them, he quickly turned around. Oh, the women were making room on the couch, alright. But not for him. With big smiles, they sat up and each moved to the ends of the couch, making room for Gibbs to sit between them. Tony sputtered. "But…I….that's….I was….you….and….but…..that's _my_ seat," he whined to Gibbs. When he received the Gibbs Glare, he gave up. "Bu-u-u-t…I am _more_ than happy to let you sit there, age before beauty, and all that….not that you're old, or anything," he rushed, trying to avoid a head slap. "Just that…you're….I'm just …going to sit on the floor, here, if that's ok with you, boss. Thanks." With a groan and a thud, Tony dropped carefully to the floor, back up against the front of the couch. "Ok, " he sighed, "we can start the movie now," he said dejectedly.

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Tony spent the first movie, 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' trying to find a comfortable position on the floor. He'd lost count how many times he'd been stepped on and kicked - accidentally, of course. Well, he was almost positive that Mandie and Abby doing it were accidents. Gibbs, he wasn't so sure about. Now, about a quarter of the way through 'The Fugitive,' Tommy Lee Jones in one of his best roles, Tony was lying on his side facing the TV. He'd stopped saying the lines along with the movie after someone on the couch 'accidentally' kicked him in the butt.

He hadn't really had much time with Mandie today, and Tony was surprised to realize that he missed the little touches and looks between them. He'd never really felt that about any of the other women he'd dated before. Well, now was the perfect time for some touch. The lights were out, everyone's attention was on something else. He absently began running a finger around the hem of Mandie's pant leg. When she didn't object, he lazily drew shapes on her calf through her jeans. He'd actually forgotten what he was doing as he got more engrossed in the action of the movie. Harrison Ford was trying to convince Marshal Tommy Lee Jones that he should be looking for the one-armed man, and Tony was oblivious to the fact that he was now teasing behind Mandie's knee.

"That hand goes any further Dinozzo, and you'll be starring in the movie."

The growl of Gibbs' voice made Tony jump. "Gah!" He pulled his hand back like he'd touched fire. Looking up at the trio on the couch, he saw that both Mandie and Abby were reclining, with their feet in Gibbs' lap. So, all this time…..it had been _Gibbs'_ leg? He felt a sudden urge to go wash his hands. Several times.

No longer excited about the movie, Tony slunk across the room and dropped on the floor at McGee's feet. Seeing the smirk on the younger man's face, he pointed at him and threatened, "not a word, McGoo."

McGee smiled innocently. "Wouldn't dream of it, Tony. Just never thought we'd see you on the May end of a May-December romance…"

Too embarrassed to think up a reply, Tony just glared at him. And McGee smiled through the rest of the movie.

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It was just past midnight, and Movie Night had gone into Intermission. Gibbs had called it a night, kissing his "daughters" on the cheek as he left the house. For the surveillance van, though Mandie didn't know that.

Several of the men had gone outside to smoke, while the women of the group went in to the kitchen to talk and refill snack trays. That was why they didn't hear any of the commotion at the front of the house.

Twenty minutes later, the women made their way back into the living room, everyone's arms loaded down with trays of food, snacks, or drinks. It wasn't until they realized how quiet it was that they looked around. The only members of the group to come back in were McGee and Tony, both with grave looks on their faces. It was Mandie who noticed they were covered in blood.

"Oh my God!" She rushed over to Tony, touching him, looking for injuries. "Oh my God! Tony, what happened?" It didn't register with her that Tony was trying to stop her, trying to talk to her.

Ziva had taken one look at her partners and had known exactly what had happened. Their Monster Marine had struck again. And this time, way too close to home. "McGee?"

Looking devastated, McGee nodded at Ziva. "There's been an accident… Scotty was…"

The women didn't wait to hear more , they just ran out the door, yelling and crying. Ziva walked to McGee for details. "He was stabbed," McGee said near her ear. "Fatally. One strike, center chest, in and up."

"Professional," Ziva murmured back. "Gibbs?"

Tim looked over at Mandie, who was trying to get around Tony. "In pursuit, but it didn't look promising."

"Come. We must begin to process the scene, yes?" Ziva put a hand on McGee's arm and steered him out of the house.

"Tony, let me go…I have to…Tony!" Mandie struggled against Tony's hold.

Tony wasn't going to let her see the scene. She didn't need that imprinted in her memory. "I need to talk to you….don't….Mandie….stop for a minute…." He tried to hold her, but she wriggled too much.

"I need to get out there!…Let _go_! … These are my friends….I need to help…"

"No you don't, darlin', you don't need to see this." He was trying to stay calm, but grappling with Mandie was tiring after everything that had happened. "He's beyond needing help, Mandie, Scotty's dead." Damn. He hadn't meant to be so blunt….Mandie stopped trying to escape. She froze.

She hadn't heard right. She couldn't have. He couldn't be dead… "Don't, Tony….don't tell me that…you're lying…." Mandie felt the anxiety building inside herself. She would _not_ lose it. "You're _lying!_" She stayed stiff as Tony wrapped her in his arms and drew her close to him.

Sighing, Tony held her. "I'm sorry, Mandie-Mine. I didn't mean to tell you like that, but…" He rested his head on top of hers. "I wish I could tell you it was a lie, sweets, but it's not. I'm so sorry. So sorry," he murmured over and over, kissing her temple, stroking her back. Since he was already holding her, he was prepared when Mandie's knees gave out from under her, and he held her up. "So sorry," he whispered in her ear, over and over, wishing he could make everything alright again. But he knew that nothing in her world would be alright again until Shane Greene was caught and…. _dealt with._

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Tony was brooding in his room the next morning. He was in a bad mood. Well, yeah, he had been since the kid, Scotty, had been stabbed to death last night, but that wasn't what had him ticked off. No. It was Mandie. She'd been in his arms, all snuggled up, he'd been holding her, letting her cry. And then Gibbs had come in the house.

As soon as she'd seen him, Mandie had torn herself out of Tony's arms and run to Gibbs, crying anew, letting _him_ whisper in her ear, letting _him_ hold her tight, letting _him _be there for her, her rock. And it killed Tony to sit by and watch Gibbs with his hands all over Mandie. He'd wanted to drag her away from the man, to tell her to cry on _him_, but he didn't. After a few minutes of watching this, Tony had stomped to the kitchen, banging things around on the pretext of putting things away. Ziva had come in and tried to talk to him, but he wasn't listening. Life had been so screwy lately with everyone dying or getting hurt, this whole new relationship with Mandie…he felt like things were spinning out of control sometimes.

"You are wrong, Tony. Gibbs and Mandie need each other right now. He needs to assure himself that she is safe. Like any good father would do. And what is so wrong in a girl wanting to be in her father's arms at a time like this?" Ziva followed him around the kitchen, hissing things at him. "You _know _that that is how they see each other, as father and daughter, yet you hide in here like the high school junior who just lost his girlfriend to the senior captain of the football team."

"I _was_ the captain of the football team," he mumbled, trying to get away from Ziva.

Ziva sighed angrily. "You are being deliberately obtuse, Tony. You _know_ how Mandie feels about you, _and_ how she feels about Gibbs." She shook her head. "It is like trying to talk to a ball…."

Tony slammed the oven door, just to slam something. "_Wall_, like trying to talk to a wall."

"No, I meant ball, with you bouncing all over the place like this…Tony…"

Throwing a wet, dirty dishrag into the sink, Tony left the kitchen, headed for his room. "Forget it, Zi. Just forget it."

And here he'd been ever since. It was nearing zero-eleven hundred hours. He and Mandie were alone in the house, everyone else gone chasing down Monster Marine leads. He knew Mandie had had a rough night-he'd heard the muffled crying, the tossing and turning. But he couldn't make himself go to her. Oh, on some level, he knew that Ziva was right, that Gibbs and Mandie were like father and daughter, and that he had no cause to feel how he felt. But there was just something….seeing Mandie, _his girl_, in someone else's arms. He'd never felt like this before, and he didn't like feeling this way.

He heard the bedroom door down the hall open, heard the sniffles and tears walking toward his room. He should have known Mandie would come to him eventually, but he really wasn't ready to talk to her yet. A part of him knew she needed some TLC, but he just didn't know if he could give it right now, not while he was still figuring out what this feeling was, exactly. A knock on his door.

"T-Tony? Tony, y-you up?" Mandie knocked on Tony's bedroom door. All she wanted was to curl up in his arms and let him keep the monsters and bad dreams at bay. No one else ever made her feel as safe as Tony did. Why didn't he answer? Gibbs had told her that Tony would be here in the house with her if she needed anything. And now he wasn't answering? "T-Tony? …..Please?" She begged, leaning her forehead against the door. She could feel the tears starting all over again. "_Please_," she whispered. After a moment, she knew he wasn't coming, so she turned to leave. Just as she did, the door opened. She turned back and saw him, and ran for his arms.

It was that last, almost silent plea that broke his resolve. It went straight to his heart-his girl had come to him, needed him. He walked over and opend the door just as Mandie was walking away, head down sadly. She turned and saw him, then threw herself against him. Her tears wet his bare chest…right over his heart. But his arms never left his sides. She just clung to him, no support.

Mandie finally noticed that something wasn't right. Tony wasn't wearing a shirt, but that was nothing new. He wasn't holding her, that was it. "Tony?" she asked, worried. "A-are you ok?"

Tony sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." he shuffled his feet. "Bad dream?"

Mandie shrugged, more concerned now with Tony than with what had woken her. "What's wrong? You…you're not…._hugging_ me….why? Is something…did something else happen?" She began to panic. "Who…is everyone ok? What's happening, Tony?"

Tony took her by the upper arms. "Calm down, honey. Everyone's fine, nothing else happened…"

"Then, what's…what's wrong? Why aren't you….I….you always….?"

"Always what?" he all but demanded.

Mandie shrunk back, wrapping her arms around herself. He never got mad at her…. She backed up a few steps, toward the door, body trembling. Not from fear, but with confusion and sadness.

He let her go. "I always _what_, Mandie?"

Tears spilled from her eyes. "Make everything ok again," she whispered sadly, backing up some more. Bumping into the door jamb, she turned to leave the room.

"Why come to _me_ when you've got _Gibbs_?" he lashed out angrily.

Mandie turned, shocked. This was about _Gibbs_? "Why?" she asked, getting just as angry. Who was he to hurt her this way? Over nothing! "Because I don't want, I don't _need_ a father right now!" She wiped the tears away from her cheeks furiously. "I need….." she sobbed, "I _wanted ….__**you!**_" She turned and ran down the hall.

_Wanted….him_. Her last words broke through the brick wall in front of his eyes. She came to _him_…because she wanted _him_….. Tony head-slapped himself as he ran out of his room. He knew if she got behind her own bedroom door, he'd most likely never see her again. He stopped a few feet away from where she was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the hallway, arms wrapped around her middle. He'd seen Mandie at her worst - after the rape, bringing it all back up in court, every time some idiot male would turn away from her in disgust at her cheek…he'd seen her cry over all those things, over friends dying right in front of her. But he'd never seen anything like this. She was on her knees on the floor, wrapping herself in a hug, rocking back and forth….there were no gasping sobs, no gulping for air…just a quiet weeping. Like her world had just come to its' end. And he guessed it did, thanks to him, he thought, giving himself another head-slap. "M-Mandie?" he began softly, hoping he hadn't just ruined everything between them.

She didn't even pick up her head. "Go away, Tony," she pled quietly.

Tony dared to take a few steps closer. "I can't, Mandie-Mine."

She squeezed her eyes shut tight against more tears. She wouldn't let him see her cry over him. "Don't call me that. I'm _not_ yours, you just made that pretty clear. Go away."

He got down on the floor near her, and crawled the few feet left to her. "Mandie…please? I want to…"

Mandie sighed. "Fine, if _you_ won't go, I will." She got to her hands and knees and started crawling to her bedroom door, standing when she reached it.

Tony had never moved so fast in his life, crawling to reach her before she could open the door. "Please? I…Mandie…._need _to talk to you. Need to apologize." He stood and wrapped his arms around her from behind, rested his forehead on her shoulder. "Give me a chance, Mandie. Please…I need to make this right."

She jumped when she felt a tear on her neck. A part of her wanted to turn around into his embrace, but she had to be strong. She could do this. But knowing he was crying…her tears started again, and she reached for the door handle. 'Just breathe,' she reminded herself. 'You can fall apart once you're behind the door.'

"Mandie," Tony whispered sadly. "_Please_…"

Mandie's forehead thumped against the bedroom door. "Don't do this, Tony," she whimpered. "I can't…." She gave a feeble struggle to get out of his arms, still silently crying. "Just….let me go, Tony…let me go," she mewled. She gasped when he spun her around to face him, and the look on his face nearly did her in….he looked like _she_ felt.

Tony shook his head. "I can't," he rasped. "I love you too much to let you go…."

She froze, eyes fastened to his. She'd never seen him this intense. He said…..Mandie mentally shook her head. She had to have been hearing things, _that_ wasn't something Anthony DiNozzo ever said. He just wants her to forgive him, that's got to be it. She shook her head vigorously. "No," she wheezed weakly. "No, you don't." If anything, his face got even sadder.

"Yeah, I do," Tony groaned. "I love you. What I said before…." he gulped, finally realizing what he'd been feeling all morning. "I…I was _jealous_. Of you and Gibbs. I know there's nothing….but….you ran to _him_, and…." he took a deep breath, "I wanted you to be running to _me_." Tony gently lay his hands on her shoulders, in the curve of her neck. "I've never…._cared _about a woman enough before…it's never really mattered….but with you…." Tony brushed a thumb softly down her cheek. "It matters, Mandie. It matters a _lot_." He felt his chin trembling, and he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself by crying, even though he wanted to. Taking another step in closer to her, Tony looked into her eyes, hoping she'd see the truth. "I _love_ you, cara mia." *

Her heart was breaking. She'd always thought if there was one person she could believe when they said those words, it was Tony. And now that he's said them….Mandie shook her head again sadly and backed up, bumping into the door. "Don't, Tony," she begged in a whisper. "I can't…" she closed her eyes, then opened them again. "Don't say that if you don't mean it." She dropped her eyes, staring at his neck, his chest, not wanting him to see her insecurity. "I want it to be true….want it to be true so bad, it hurts," she gasped between sobs. "If it's not true….don't say it, Tony. I don't know…how much more I can take…."

Tony carefully took her face between both his hands and lifted it up, wanting her to see the truth in his eyes. Gazing into her deep, violet eyes, he repeated those three little words again. "_I love you_, Mandie Sewell. I've only ever said those words to two other women. One of them was my mother."

Mandie didn't have to ask who the other woman was - she remembered Jeanne Benoit, and how much Tony had loved her. And how she'd hurt him. "Y-you, you…you _love_ me?" she asked tremulously.

He leaned in and softly kissed her forehead, then brushed her nose with his. "I. Love. You." He swiped away a tear from her chin. "I'm scared too, Tesoro," * he rasped. "Everyone I've ever said it to….has left me….but I can't _not_ tell you. If there's one thing I've learned over the years….life's too short to not tell someone when you love them."

"A-are you sure? You love _me_?" Even _she_ thought she was being too distrustful, but with her past….she just wanted Tony to know he had an out. Mandie bit her lower lip.

Tony smiled that sweet-yet-sexy smile as his thumb traced across her lip, pulling it gently out from between her teeth. "You want me to get a boom box and stand outside your window blasting Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes'?" *

Mandie couldn't help but chuckle through her tears. "Only _you_ could throw a movie reference into a discussion like this!" She put her hands on his wrists, where he held her face and looked up into his

beautiful eyes. "I won't leave you, Tony," she said breathlessly, hopefully, a shaky smile on her face.

He wanted to cheer. He wanted to cry. Tony pulled Mandie into his arms, holding her head to his chest, his face buried in her hair, surrounding himself with her sweet scent. "Love you, Mandie-Mine," he said in a rough voice.

"I love you, too, Tony," Mandie trembled out, saying the words for the first time in her life to someone other than family. She tightened her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He didn't seem to mind, as he tightened his embrace, also. "I love you," she said with more confidence this time, savoring the moment.

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_**A/N - **_**Translations and References:**

*****_**cara mia**_** - honey, dearest - term of endearment**

*****_**Tesoro**_** - sweetheart - term of endearment**

_*** movie reference **_**- ****Say Anything****, 1989 John Cusack, Ione Skye typical '80's teen love story. Cusack's character wants to show his girlfriend (who thinks she should break up with him to help her father with his business) how he feels. He shows up outside her house with a boom box, holding it over his head, blasting Peter Gabriel's ****In Your Eyes****. A very iconic scene for anyone who grew up in that era.**


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